Fairy Warts
by Isangtao
Summary: Mistaken for an orphan, Harry was kidnapped and forced to work at the Tower of Heaven. Starts when Erza is still a slave at the Tower, and during Sorcerer's Stone. Pairings undecided, may not have any.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All elements featured in this story are not my own.**

**Fairy Warts**

**Prologue**

-Unknown suburban location-

It was a quiet evening. Every home is lit, and the sounds of the early evening news fill the night. The streets themselves are empty. Nothing but a cat can be seen prowling the empty lanes, looking for a bite to eat. Nothing that is, except for two men currently sitting on a bench near the local elementary school.

"So Thornby, tell me again why we're here?" asked one of them. The man was wearing something that looked like a black cloak. Underneath the cloak, he was wearing a simple attire of a brown shirt and denim jeans.

The other man groaned. "Ugh, I told you Garth, we are here to confirm the rumors that the dark lord Voldemort has been defeated." This one was wearing something pretty much the same as his partner, except that the shirt is colored a lighter brown.

"Why do we need to confirm is he is still alive?"

"Because he might be a threat to our plans," Thornby replied.

Garth nodded. "Oh, I see. And what do we do if he is still alive?"

"We eliminate him."

Garth nodded again. "Okay, so I just have to ask you this, if they think that this wizard is a threat to us summoning Zeref, then he must be pretty powerful right?"

Thornby nodded.

"Then why the hell did they send one average mage and a guard to do something that should be done by an S-Class mage?"

Thornby shrugged. "We are not here to complain, we are here to do our mission. Now stop whining and check if traces of magic used by Voldemort are left.

Garth sighed. "Yes sir." He closed his eyes, and concentrated. The air around the little street seemed to have moved a little.

-A few minutes later-

A young boy was running desperately. His cousin and his gang beat him up and locked him inside a locker, and it took him at least three hours to escape, when a passing janitor noticed the locker was making sounds. His black hair was a mess, while his clothes, a white T-shirt with brown shorts, and bag looked like someone took a knife and started slashing at it, at the same time flicking mud. In short, he looked like a beggar. At least his worn out shoes, which looked more like sandals than shoes, as well as his glasses, weren't touched, or else they would have been completely torn apart.

Still, he knew better than to point his finger Dudley, he was sure his aunt would simply blame everything on him.

"Oh, I haven't cooked dinner yet, Aunt Petunia is going to be really mad when I get home," he said to himself, running all the while.

He finally got tired by the time he got to the park near the school, and slowed to a walk. To pass the time, and to avoid thinking about his punishment, he resorted to thinking of what he will cook when he gets home.

"Hmm, maybe I should cook a nice soup for them. Yeah, and put in some cabbages, tomatoes, and onions to bring make it tastier. I can add some chicken so Dudley will eat it," he mumbled to himself.

He never noticed two men sitting on a bench just ahead of him.

-Park bench-

"I don't feel anything that might be related to Dark Magic here, the most recent bit of magic I could find was six years ago, and that wasn't Dark Magic," said Garth.

Thornby nodded. "Alright then, let's get out of-." He was cut off when he saw a little boy, no more than seven years old, walking in front of them, mumbling something about what seemed to be a delicious soup he was going to cook. There was a lightning-bolt shaped scar on his right forehead.

He grinned. He nudged Garth in the ribs.

"Hey Garth, looks like we found another slave," he said.

Garth snapped out of his concentration. He looked around, and found what Thornby was indicating.

"Uh, the kid?" he asked.

"Yes, is there anyone here besides us?"

Garth looked around. Besides from them and the kid, there was nobody else on the street.

Thornby walked up to the boy.

"Kid, you shouldn't be out here this late," he said.

The boy jumped and snapped his head behind him. Wide eyes met calm ones as Thornby and the kid looked at each other.

The boy stopped in his tracks.

"Um, who are you mister?"

Thornby smiled. "Just someone who would like you to go home safely," he said, his voice gentle and kind.

He grinned when the boy gave a sigh of relief.

"So kid, what's your name?"

The boy tilted his head. Responsible guardians would tell their children to run away when a stranger approaches them, the boy's guardians were anything but responsible.

As such he told them his name.

"I'm Harry Potter. But my aunt and uncle take care of me. They say mom and dad died on a car crash when I was young. Oh, I live on that house with the number four on it," he said.

Thornby nodded. "Come on, let's get you home." He held his hand out for Harry to take.

Harry smiled. "Okay!" He took Thornby's hand and began to drag him towards his house. But he had barely taken two steps when he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head.

Harry was unconscious even before he fell to the ground.

Thornby stood about him. He knelt, picked up the body on his shoulders; he then walked back to Garth.

"C'mon let's get this kid back to the tower," said Thornby.

Garth shook his head. "You're really one who can't wait can you?"

Nevertheless he took out the device that would get them home.

A flash of light appeared, surrounding the two men and their newfound slave. When the light disappeared, they were gone.

**Chapter 1**

-Unknown location-

It was a busy day of construction. Slaves of all ages were hard at work completing a massive tower. Some were carrying rocks to be used for building, while others handled hammering and nailing wood to form a skeleton for the tower.

At the office of the leaders, two men arrived via a portal. The leaders looked up from their desks, and found Thornby and Garth in the center of the office. Thornby seemed to be holding a child on his shoulders.

'_Another slave_,' they thought.

The leader spoke up. "Thornby, report."

Thornby cleared his throat. "Sir, we have found no evidence to suggest Voldemort might still be alive. However, I would like to request that we look into it again, as we may have missed some places where he might be hiding."

The leader nodded. "And what of the boy? I know you of all people would not bring in a new slave unless he can be useful."

Thornby grinned. "Of course not sir, the child passed by us on his way to his relations' house; he was making plans for what seemed to be a delicious soup. I feel that the child will become an excellent help in the kitchen.

'_He got the munchies,'_ the leaders concluded.

The man before him rubbed his chin. "Well said. Our kitchen staff has been having problems with keeping up with the number of workers; I shall trust you on this one. Take him to Silver; he's going to be taking care of the boy. Both of you are dismissed."

Thornby bowed, and left the office, headed for the kitchens. Garth bowed as well, and went to his and Thornby's quarters.

-Tower Kitchen, a few hours later-

Harry began to wake up. He groaned, and slowly got up to a sitting position. As he was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he suddenly remembered last night's events. He bolted upward, and looked left and right.

He was in what looked like a kitchen. The walls of the kitchen were bare, with only a window right in front of him for decoration. On the right was an antique type of stove he once saw in a movie (while his aunt and uncle weren't looking). On the left was the sink, made out of rock. The door was beside the sink. There was a table in the center of the room. In front of him was where the cooking utensils and ingredients were located, as well as a one legged man. He was dressed in a sleeveless shirt (the sleeves were torn off) and shorts, he was also wearing a bandana around his head.

Said one legged man was looking at him. "You're awake, finally," he said gruffly.

Harry looked at him with wide eyes. "W-where am I?" he asked, trembling. He also noticed that he was sitting on a table, placed right next to a wall.

The man shook his head, and stood up.

"So you speak our language, good, we can understand each other."

He grabbed a cane that was lying near him and hobbled over to Harry, whose first reaction was to back away from him.

"No use running away kid, you're stuck here with me, might as well get used to it," he said.

That did not stop Harry from shrinking to the very wall, shaking with fear. The one legged man reached the edge of the table, and sat on it.

"Come on kid; don't make this any harder on yourself. Come sit here," he said, beckoning Harry to sit beside him.

Harry didn't move from his spot, too scared to move.

The man sighed. "Look, would you feel better if I tell you my name?" he asked, still trying to get Harry to sit beside him.

Harry still didn't move from his spot, but nonetheless gave the man a barely perceptible nod.

The man smiled. "My name is John Silver." He pointed his finger at Harry, relieved that some progress had been made.

The boy gulped. "I'm-I'm Harry Potter. W-where are we?"

Silver sighed. "Kid, we're in the Tower of Heaven."

Harry finally decided to let down his guard, slightly. He raised his eyebrows. "Tower of Heaven? Where is that? Is it somewhere in London?"

Silver rubbed his head. "Well, I don't know about this London place you're talking about, but then again, I don't know where the Tower is located either. So in short kid, we're in the middle of nowhere."

Harry's eyes widened. Realization washed over him. _He was kidnapped_. Tears escaped his eyes.

Silver noticed him crying, and moved beside Harry. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. But Harry didn't react.

"Son, I know it's hard, but you need to be strong. You need to have the will to live kid, or else you're going to die here. The guards don't take lightly to slackers. They aren't-"

He was interrupted when Harry sniffed. He lifted his glasses away from his eyes to wipe some tears away. "Mr. Silver sir, it's not that I'm sad that I was…um…kidnapped, but it's because I'm, I'm, um…"

"Confused?"

"Yeah, confused. Back home, aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon would always make me do all the chores, while my cousin Dudley and his friends would bully me."

Silver rubbed his head again. _'Kid's got a rough childhood,'_ he thought.

Harry sniffed again, and curled himself to a ball. He hung his head down.

Silver sighed; getting the boy out of his depression is going to be a challenge.

"Hey, let's get you something to eat; we've got work to do later on."

Harry looked at him, his glasses reflecting some light from the window. He nodded, got up from the bed, and went straight for the ingredients. He looked back and forth, as a dumbstruck Silver looked on, at the different kinds of food before him. He then turned to the one legged man.

"Mr. Silver sir, what should I cook?"

Silver, snapping out of his stupor, shook his head to clear his thoughts.

'_And I thought the kid would get over this situation slowly,_' he thought.

"Erm, how about some chicken soup?" he said.

Harry nodded, and promptly started taking out the ingredients and utensils for the soup.

As Silver looked on, he remembered what Thornby said to him the night before.

-Flashback-

Thornby opened the door to the kitchen, and found Silver washing the pans that were used to cook dinner.

"Silver, I have a new kid for you," he said.

Silver stop his washing, and turned to Thornby. He looked at him, and then on his cargo.

"Yeah, he cooks?"

"I would like to believe so. The reason I captured him is because I heard him muttering about a soup. I thought he would make a nice assistant for the kitchen."

"You sure you didn't simply had the munchies?"

"No."

Silver smiled. "Alright then, put him on that table over there," he indicated to a table on his left.

Thornby did what he asked and placed Harry on the table.

"I will leave things to you then." He left the kitchen after that.

-End flashback-

Silver was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Harry talking to him.

"Mr. Silver sir, how do I use the stove? We have a stove back home, but it doesn't look like that." He pointed to the ancient looking stove.

Silver smirked. "Stop calling me 'sir' kid, I'm a slave like you. Call me Silver okay?"

"Okay Mr. Silver."

The man groaned. _'I guess we can leave the 'Mister' like that.'_

Harry was looking up at him expectantly, and Silver forgot that the kid asked him how to use the stove. He stood up, using his cane for balance.

"Alright, you first light a fire underneath…" And they began.

-One year later-

"Harry! We need more of those onions! Get some from the stock room!"

"Yes sir!"

"And bring some of the stale cake in as well!"

"Uh, right!"

It had been one year since Harry had been kidnapped from the Dursleys. And frankly, life at the Tower of Heaven was no different. Silver told him that he would be working with him, as a cook for the workers at the Tower, something which Harry didn't mind, as he had cooked for the Dursleys before and therefore knows some cooking techniques. He would still be worked to his bones, though, so much so that his shoes gave out, Silver had to ask the guards to bring him some flip-flops. They never did.

Except here, he was actually left alone when he did a good job. That, and the fact that Silver was a good companion and teacher. He was the head cook for the Tower, and he taught Harry many cooking techniques, most of which involve drenching the food first in wine, as well as how to read and write the local language. Harry liked the one legged man, he was like the parent he never had.

Harry had met a lot of the other slaves, since he would be the one serving them their food during meal time. He also found out he wasn't the only kid on the block.

During his first dinner time on the Tower, which took place in a massive stone dining hall, he was surprised to find out that there were several other children other than him being forced to work.

There was a kid with blue hair, and what looked like a tattoo on his face. Two black-haired boys, one tall, and the other about his height, are accompanying a girl with brown hair in a bowl haircut, and what seems to be a cat-like expression. The last children were a very young boy with blond hair, and a red haired girl.

Except for the red haired girl, they seem to share a close bond to each other, as Harry served them as a group. The red haired girl looked like she was new, just like him.

He eventually learned the names of the other children. The blue haired kid was called Jellal, the other two boys were known as Simon and Wally, the former was the tall one. The cat girl was Milliana, the toddler was Sho, and the redhead was Erza.

Despite them working at different places, Harry was stuck in the kitchen, and the other kids outside, they developed a close friendship with one another. Whenever the kitchen staff was finished serving everyone their meals, Harry would always sit with the other youngsters. The first few meetings were awkward…

-Flashback-

Everyone was now eating, and the pot Harry was serving was empty. His chicken soup, much to Silver's surprise and amusement, had been a hit and everybody, Thornby and Garth included, has been craving for more.

Harry was looking at the other children, who had grouped together and taken a table for themselves. He wanted to meet up with them.

Silver, noticing his ward's expression, hobbled up to him.

"Go on Harry, we'll take care of the washing tonight, that's your reward for making a good soup."

The other kitchen staff nodded at him, and Harry beamed. He took off his apron and went over to the kids' table.

But as soon as he reached it, his nerves broke down.

He didn't know what he was going to say. Back at home, he had no friends, thanks to Dudley and his gang threatening everyone all of their classmates who tries to make friends with him. When he reported to the school officials, the case was mysteriously closed when uncle Vernon made a "donation" to the school.

The blue haired kid, however, noticed him. He got up from his seat and walked over to Harry.

"Hello, would you like to come join us?" he asked.

Hesitating, Harry nodded, and joined him with the other kids.

'_They're all looking at me,'_ thought Harry.

They were all looking at him, as if they're fascinated by the new kid.

The cat girl spoke first. "Hi! Who are you?"

She was beaming at him, something which creeped Harry somewhat slightly.

"Um, I'm Harry Potter."

Milliana's smile faltered slightly, which returned to full strength a second later.

"Hello Harry! I'm Milliana, the tall one is Simon, the one beside him is Wally, and the little kid is Sho. Jellal is the one with the tattoo, and Erza is the redhead."

Everybody said their hellos, which Harry returned. They, Harry included, talked about themselves, how they were kidnapped, if Jellal likes Erza (Wally got slapped for this), and why on earth Sho was kidnapped as well.

Harry returned to the small room, where the kitchen staff slept, very happy that night.

-End flashback-

Lunch time, and everyone was happily making use of what little free time they had. That included the kitchen staff, which finally finished serving everyone.

Harry was with the other children, simply enjoying themselves with a much needed break.

"That was the heaviest stone they made me carry so far, I thought it would crush me halfway up the stairs!" moaned Wally as he recounted what they did that morning. The children, except Harry, had been working on one of the pillars that will support the Tower.

The Tower of Heaven, it turned out, was a structure that was being built by dark mages to resurrect someone named Zeref. What they want with Zeref however, Harry and the other kids don't know.

Jellal scolded Wally. "Stop whining Wally, it will only make the guards pick on you more."

Wally glared at him. "And why aren't they bothering Harry? All Harry has to do is cook, and they leave him alone!"

Jellal put his cup down. "Wally that's enough! Just because Harry is doing better than you doesn't mean you can go out and take your anger on him."

Harry, who had been listening the whole time, spoke quietly. "Wally, have you ever tried to wrestle a cow before?"

Wally looked at him. "No I haven't."

"Good, and I hope you never will. Whenever the kitchen cooks beef, they would slaughter a cow or a bull, and I get to be the one that needs to beat the cow into submission, since nobody else but Mister Silver will."

He took in a deep breath, and then continued.

"The cows aren't just going to stand there; they will fight back, and they will gorge you with their horns any chance they get," said Harry, showing them the bandages on some of the wounds the cow inflicted on him. Many of the wounds were on his stomach, though some made their way into his thigh, and on his back.

Wally's eyes were wide as saucers. "Err, never mind about what I said Harry, I don't want to be a cook!"

Harry simply chuckled at him.

Erza, who was listening, asked. "What about Mister Silver?"

"He took out the bull."

Silence.

A bell was heard, and everyone knew lunch time was over. Harry went to the kitchen to wash the dishes and prepare for dinner, the other children back outside to finish construction.

-Two years later-

The next two years had been routine. Harry would get up before sunrise, join the other kitchen staff as they prepare breakfast, serve the food when a bell rings, eat their share, and wash the dishes when the bell rings again. They would do the same during lunch and dinner.

When the staff had finished serving the other slaves and the guards, Harry would join Jellal and the others in their table, where they would spend their free time talking, playing games, and generally acting their age.

Dinner time, and the kitchen staff had finally finished serving everyone their meals. Harry had ambled over to where Jellal and the others were. Then he noticed something peculiar.

Jellal was talking to the others in hushed voices, almost as if they don't want the adults to hear what they were talking about. When Harry got closer to the table, all of them stopped talking.

"Oh, it's just you Harry," said Jellal, his voice still in the same hushed tone.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Harry, who had the sense to lower his voice as well.

"We can't talk about it freely here, so let's just say we've come up with an escape plan and leave it at that," said Wally.

Harry raised his eyebrows. They were going to try and escape the Tower. Jellal then spoke.

"Are you going to come with us?"

Harry didn't speak, he didn't move. He had no idea what he should do. Should he leave the Tower and escape to the world, well, there was merit in that, and he had the skills to survive. But he thought Mister Silver, who taught him everything he knew about his new life, and became like a parent to him, he couldn't just leave him like that. Harry clenched his teeth.

"Sorry guys, I just can't leave Mister Silver like that, he's the one who raised me and taught me everything. I don't want to just abandon him with a snap of my finger."

Jellal frowned. "Well, will you keep our secret?"

"To my death, and will you kep my involvement a secret?"

"To the very end."

The bell rang, and Harry hugged each and every one of them, for what he thought would be the last time he would see them.

-The next day-

Harry was shocked to see Jellal, Milliana, Sho, Wally, and Simon, all standing in front of the dining hall, being held by the guards. The head guard, Thornby, stepped forward.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you who try to escape, we have sent their leader to the disciplinary chamber, while these children will not be given food for three days," he said.

The guards released them, and Thornby moved towards Jellal. "Be thankful that you are children, we have given you our most generous punishment."

He and the rest of the guards left the dining hall.

And everyone looked at Harry.

For the rest of the day, Harry was bombarded with questions about the others' plans. They asked if he was involved with them, who else were in on the plan, why he would abandon his friends, or why they would abandon him.

The first question he denied any involvement. The second question he had no idea. The third and fourth ones he said would depend on how they look at it.

It was dinner time, and Harry had joined his crestfallen friends on their table.

"Um, sorry, I denied any involvement with you on the plans," started Harry, feeling sorry that he betrayed them.

Nobody replied to him immediately. It took a few minutes before Jellal spoke up.

"Good choice."

Then his face changed to that of anger. "I should have been the one taken."

Harry looked at Jellal, his eyebrows furrowed. Jellal continued.

"They took Erza to their so called disciplinary chamber. They're really going to torture her until she breaks."

Harry's eyes widened, which turned into anger moments later.

No one spoke for the entire time, their stomachs (except Harry's) growling with hunger, and when the bell rang to signify the end of their free time, Harry got up from his seat, and whispered to Simon.

"When everyone's asleep, go to the front door of the kitchen."

Simon looked at Harry, a perplexed expression on his face. Jellal, Wally, Milliana, and Sho went ahead of him, their hunger keeping them from noticing their tall friend's confused look.

-A few hours later-

Simon sneaked through the halls, avoiding the guards and running from one shadow to the next.

It took him a while before he reached his destination, the kitchen.

He noticed that the door was locked, and Harry was nowhere to be found. He waited for his bespectacled friend to arrive. Minutes passed, and Harry still did not come.

Sighing, and figuring out that Harry must have forgotten his agreement, Simon turned to leave, when he noticed something on the floor. It was a package wrapped in some paper.

Simon took the package; it was soft like a pillow. He saw a note underneath it. Thinking the note would be important; he picked it up and read. What was written made him smile.

This is as much as I could take without anyone noticing, I hope it's enough

There were no initials to indicate who had written the note, but Simon was sure it was Harry who left the food on the front of the kitchen. He hurriedly took it back to cave they call a room.

-The next day-

Harry noticed something strange about Jellal. While the others were happily enjoying the fact that they had at least eaten something, and were thanking Harry for it ("I'll never complain that you were placed in cooking duty again!" said Wally), Jellal hung his head down whenever they were together. He looked like he was concentrating on something.

Harry grew concerned for his friend, and wasted no time talking to the others.

"He's planning something," said Simon.

Milliana was fearful. "What should we do?"

Sho and Harry, who were deep in thought of what to do, simultaneously answered.

"We do nothing, I know Jellal, once he's set his mind on something, nothing's going to stop him. If we try to interfere, it would be bad for all of us."

Simon and Wally looked tense, but said nothing.

-Evening-

Harry was walking back to his room, when he noticed a figure walking slowly in the darkness.

His curiosity piqued, he moved closer, and was horrified when he saw Erza, covered in wounds and with her right eye covered with an eye patch. Her eyes were downcast, and tears were threatening to escape.

He rushed to her side.

"Erza! What happened?"

He helped her back to her cell, where many of the other slaves were horrified at what had happened to Erza. Simon and Wally immediately moved beside her.

"What happened?" they asked.

Rob, the old man who Harry had known as the caretaker of the other kids, answered.

"Jellal must have rescued her when the guards weren't paying attention, let her rest, she's had it rough in the disciplinary chamber," he said.

Wally perked up. "But Jellal's not here, so that means…"

'_He's been taken in her place,'_ thought Harry.

Sho, who had been listening, has had enough.

"I can't take it anymore, no, I can't take it anymore. I can't take it anymore!"

The guards were awakened.

"Hey, what's with all that noise!"

Two of them went to Erza's cell.

"That brat better keep it down, or his cut off his tongue!"

Sho continued to cry, which prompted the guards to keep screaming. Erza was clenching her fist, something which sent signals to Harry that something bad was going to happen. He immediately dove out of the way, pushing the others back so they won't be caught in between.

And he was right. Because just a few seconds later Erza snapped. She screamed, grabbed one of the guards' spears, and proceeded to cut them down. The ruckus she caused was heard even to the other cells.

One of the guards managed to shout, "It's a revolt!" before Erza attacked him.

"Submitting or running away, that won't gain us our freedom. We can only fight!"

And with that, the revolt began.

-Scene change-

It was chaos, the slaves who had been once submissive, were inspired by Erza's actions. They picked up their arms and faced the guards who stood before them. All over the tower slaves and guards were battling each other. The hallways were strewn with dead or dying slaves and guards.

Even the kitchen staff, who were the farthest from the noise, joined in the fray, using knives and machetes to cut down those who opposed them.

When Silver first heard of the revolt, he was ecstatic. He grabbed the machete that was used to kill cattle, and shouted.

"I've been in this hellhole for over ten years, I lost my leg here, now it's time for payback!"

His speech ignited the fire within the kitchen staff, and the entire cell scrambled to get any and all weapons they could find.

Silver took the biggest kitchen knife and gave it to Harry.

"You'll need this for the fight."

Harry looked at his mentor, and saw the fire in his eyes. And seeing that made Harry smile; he took the knife from Silver, and handed him his cane.

"And you'll need these to get to the exits."

Silver looked at him, then laughed heartily. They left the kitchen together.

They were in the last corridor to the dining hall, when they saw the last man they wanted to see.

Up ahead, Thornby was standing. His sword, a black single edged blade carved with runes, was covered in blood. Underneath him, were the bodies of the kitchen staff.

Harry was devastated. The kitchen staff was like his big brothers and sisters on the Tower. They cared for him as if he was family, and he loved them like they were his own siblings. And Thornby killed them all in an instant.

The head guard smiled, and started moving towards them. He chuckled, holding his bloodied sword out in front of him

Silver was furious, he cared for the staff like they were his own children, and the bastard simply killed them.

His hand was shaking in anger.

"Harry, stay behind me," said Silver.

Thornby chuckled even more.

"You? Against me? Are you kidding old man? You don't stand a chance."

"I've been wrestling bulls all my life son, and if you think I don't have the skills to back it up, think again."

Thornby laughed. "You're actually comparing me to mere animals? You're in over your head old man."

And with that, he charged. He swung his sword over his head, and brought it down to Silver's skull. Silver parried him with the machete, nearly falling back. Only Harry's support prevented him from falling,

"Thanks Harry," said Silver, before snapping his head back to his front and avoiding a slash from Thornby.

"Eyes on the prize old man," he said, before making a stabbing attack at Silver.

Harry was looking for an opening. As Silver and Thornby fought, he went to the sides, trying to find a weakness in the head guard's armor. He moved to Thornby's back, and saw that the joints of the armor had no protection. He saw his chance.

But as he ran forward to attack the head guard, Thorny suddenly whipped around and grabbed him at the same time moving away from Silver.

"Harry!"

"Aw, looks like you'll lose another one gramps," mocked Thornby.

He held his sword in a reverse grip, and brought it down upon Harry, who closed his eyes so he won't see the impact. But it never came.

Harry felt himself being pushed out of the way, and when he opened his eyes, was shocked to see that Silver had taken the attack for him.

The one legged man smiled at him.

"Live fast and strong kid, I know you will."

He winked at Harry, before his body went limp, and he was dead.

Harry could not believe his eyes. The man that had been a father figure to him for the last three years, the one who had taken care of him inside the tower, was dead right in front of him. He hung his head, tears were running down his face. His body, however, was trembling.

Thornby shook his head. "Sacrificing yourself for a kid? You're an idiot Silver, and to think I enjoyed you and Harry's meals."

He walked towards Harry, and once again swung his sword above him, when he felt an overpowering fear.

He couldn't use his hands. He was too frightened to move. He felt his heart beating very fast within his chest.

'_Why am I…suddenly afraid?'_ he thought.

Back at the dining hall, where most of the battle took place, every single guard and mage that had been attacking the slaves were paralyzed with fear.

The guards had no idea why they were suddenly afraid. But the mages, they realized that someone was using magic to manipulate their emotions, and it was working.

Because of their sudden pause in attacks, it gave Erza a time to get enraged, which was enough to activate the latent magic within her, and cause all of the swords to float and point towards the guards.

Thornby felt like his legs were made of stone. He couldn't think clearly, let alone move. He directed his eyes towards Harry and his heart stopped beating for a second.

Harry had turned his gaze towards Thornby, and his eyes were filled with hate. Hate for kidnapping him from the Dursleys, hate for three years of slavery, hate for Thornby murdering his big brothers and sisters, and hate for Thornby killing Silver.

Harry shouted, and Thornby glowed green. He was flung towards the dining hall, and into the guards and mages. He landed right on top of them, just in time for a rain of swords to come down upon the Tower's guardians.

Harry was panting; struggling, he stood up, and continued towards the dining hall, where he was greeted by Wally, Sho, and Milliana. Erza was rallying the slaves for one final push towards freedom.

"Harry, you missed it! Mister Rob was killed, but Erza suddenly got really mad and all the guards and mages were paralyzed with fear when they saw her levitate swords off the ground! Then this guard suddenly landed right on top of them, just as Erza attacked them with the swords!" said Milliana.

"Harry, what happened to you? You look like somebody punched you really hard," asked Wally.

Harry looked at them all, then hung his head down. "Mister Silver was killed by that guard that landed on the others; he was the head guard, Thornby."

The other three hung their heads. Sho realized something.

"Then you must be the one that threw the guard toward the other guards. I would like to think that it was also you that made paralyzed them, right before Erza was enraged."

"I don't know Sho, I got depressed when Thornby killed Mister Silver, then I guess I suddenly felt pure hate for the man, and after that, I saw him being flung towards them," said Harry, pointing towards the fallen mages and guards.

Milliana beamed. "Then that must mean you also activated your magic, just like Erza!"

"I…guess so?"

They made their way towards they ships at the harbor, but Harry felt something else. He stared into the passage that leads to the disciplinary chamber. He stopped.

Wally stopped as well.

"Harry, we have to go, the ships are waiting," he said. But Harry didn't move.

"You guys go on ahead, something tells me I have to go this way."

Wally gave him a confused look, but shrugged.

"Just be back soon okay."

Harry gave him a thumbs up, then proceeded down the hall. Before he left the dining hall however, he walked back to the bodies of the guards, and sorted through them. It only took a few seconds before he found what he wanted, Thornby's sword. He then resumed his way to the passage.

When he got to the disciplinary chamber, he was horrified to see Erza floating in the air, looking like she was being held at the neck. What horrified him more was that Jellal was the one doing it.

"Jellal, what are you doing?" he shouted, unable to believe his friend can do something like that.

Jellal turned his head towards Harry.

"Harry, I'm glad you're here, please escort Erza to a boat, where she will have her 'freedom', then we will build this Tower together," he said, putting Erza down.

Harry went to Erza's side, he glared at Jellal.

"Why the hell do you want to complete the Tower?" he asked, his eyes showing anger at Jellal

Jellal laughed at him, "to obtain true freedom."

Harry paused. "To obtain…true freedom?"

"Yes, by completing this Tower, I can resurrect the wizard Zeref, and with his power, I can build a place where everyone is happy."

Harry shook his head. "Have you gone mad Jellal? Zeref is the reason why we were brought here in the first place!"

Jellal laughed again. "They were doing the right thing, but they were going about it wrong. Threat and force can only do so much to a person. I'll make sure that the slaves are treated nicely, that they won't feel any sorrow, and that they won't think they are slaves. So Harry, come join me in my new world."

Harry gritted his teeth. "Sorry Jellal, but nothing is keeping me here. With Mister Silver gone, I have nothing to go back to in this Tower. I'm joining Erza."

Jellal frowned. "Fine." He turned, but suddenly Harry was caught in the same magic that bound Erza moment ago.

"But know this, if you ever tell anyone about this, I will personally kill you friends. Sho will be first."

He dropped Harry, who immediately grabbed Erza and left.

"Go then, claim your precious freedom, and don't come back here again!"

-Later, on the shores of a beach-

A young boy and girl were shown dragging their feet into the shore. The boy was carrying a black, single edged sword. A small boat was anchored some distance away. As soon as their feet hit dry sand, both sank to their knees. They hugged each other, trying to comfort one another from all that have happened just a few hours prior.

They collapsed out of pure exhaustion.

**Author's note:** I just couldn't resist writing this. This is a crossover between Harry Potter and Fairy Tail. It will start from the time Erza was still in the Tower of Heaven, and in Sorcerer's Stone.

Thornby and Garth are characters in Warcraft 3, Arthas met them on the way to Stahnbrad, where they joined his mission of freeing the village from the orcs.

Silver is based on Long John Silver, a character from Treasure Island. He was the leader of the group of pirates who were hired a crewmen.

This will be an experimental story. And updates will be months in between. I can promise this much though, I do not abandon my stories. Updates may be few and far between, but there will always be updates.

Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All elements featured in this story are not my own.**

**Chapter 2**

-A beach-

Morning, and Erza and Harry had woken up from their escape from the Tower of Heaven. It had been hard, the fight was brutal, and many sacrifices had been made. Erza lost Mister Rob, the man who cared for her in the Tower, while Harry can only watch as Mister Silver die at the hands of the one who kidnapped him in the first place. And both of them lost their friends to someone they can only consider a comrade now.

They salvaged what they can from the Tower, Erza a set of clothes and a spare eye patch, Harry an extra pair of glasses, some clothing, and Thornby's sword. The moment they had packed their meager belongings, they loaded them on a small boat, and made their escape.

Harry had finished taking his clothes from the boat, and had joined Erza at the shore. He asked her.

"Now what?"

Erza turned her back at Harry, and stared at the expanse of land. "Mister Rob told me of a mage's guild he once belonged to; its name was Fairy Tail. He said it was located in a town called Magnolia."

Harry nodded. "At least we know where we're supposed to go."

Erza smiled at him, and the two went on their way to the Fairy Tail guild.

-Magnolia town, a week later-

The entire Fairy Tail guild stared at the newcomers. They were dressed in beggar's clothing. The girl had red hair and an eye patch covers her right eye. The boy was wearing glasses, and had a black sword strapped to his back with a piece of cloth. They made their way to the back, and right into a little old man that was the guild's master.

The girl spoke first. "So this is the place Mister Rob was talking about." The boy shrugged.

The guild master looked at the two. "Oh, you met Rob? Where is he now?"

The girl hung her head. "He died saving me when we revolted against out masters."

The old man widened his eyes, which turned into a look of sadness a second later. "I…never thought that he would be dead. And Silver was such a good companion to him."

The boy shook his head. "Mister Silver died protecting me from the guards."

The old man was shocked. "Silver died as well?" He hung his head, then announced.

"Everyone, let us give a moment of silence to Rob and Silver, who died protecting these two children from oppression."

The shock on the older member's faces was evident. They hung their heads and stayed silent. The younger members, who had not met Rob, nonetheless kept quiet as the older ones mourned their fallen comrades.

A few minutes passed, and the guild master raised his head again. He asked the boy and the girl.

"So, I don't think you're simply here to announce the deaths of our guild member and employee. What can we do for you?"

The girl raised her head. "Sir, we want to join Fairy Tail."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "You want to join? Well, of course!"

The two children perked up, then looked at each other, smiling. Smiles which turned to frowns when the guild master spoke again…

"But of course you can't join a mage guild if you aren't mages. So I will have to know if you can do magic." He waited eagerly for the two to show off what they can do. As did everyone else apparently, for all of them stopped talking and stared at the two who wanted to join.

The boy and the girl looked at each other, giving the other worried looks. It took a moment, but they nodded to each other, and looked at the old man again.

The girl went first. She closed her eyes, and concentrated.

A few seconds passed, and nothing happened. The guild master waited, the boy waited, everyone waited.

Then…

Objects began to move. Cups, bottles, and other small objects started to float in midair. Chairs started moving across the floor seconds later. The girl's clothing even moved, and something seems to be trying to tie up her hair. This went on for a minute, before the girl opened her eyes and the things that were moved dropped to the ground. Some people cried over smashed wine bottles.

The guild master smiled, and beckoned for the boy to start.

He obliged, and also adopted the concentrating pose that the girl used. Everybody tensed, expecting something fantastic to happen before their eyes. That didn't happen.

What happened instead was that guild members started acting strange. One of them, a boy with black hair who happened to be wearing nothing but shorts, started shouting.

"Yeah! I'm the happiest man alive!"

Another one, a white haired girl wearing punk clothing, began punching people.

"Seeing all of your faces make me angry!"

Every guild member seemed to have been overwhelmed by their moods. Another suddenly started crying, while one felt like he was the smartest man in the world. And for some reason, they can hear, if only faintly, voices in their heads.

Like with the girl, this went on for a minute, before the boy opened his eyes, and everyone returned to normal. Well, as normal as one can get in the guild.

The old man smiled even more. He looked at the girl

"Telekinesis, and a bit of Requip, interesting…" Then he turned to the boy.

"And you, manipulating emotions, some telepathy, we don't have a lot of that in Magnolia."

He rubbed his chin. "Both of your magic is unrefined, but then, nothing beats good training, hmm?"

He grinned. "Welcome to the Fairy Tail guild! I am Makarov, the guild master."

The shock and surprise on their faces were hard to miss. They looked at each other, smiles on their faces. The guild members smirked, and one of them started taking out drinks and snacks, in preparation for a party for the new members

Makarov looked at the two. He cleared his throat, and the boy and the girl stopped whatever they were doing (hugging each other and causing the others to smirk and develop inappropriate thoughts).

"Now, may I know your names?"

The girl and the boy smiled. The girl spoke first. "I am Erza Scarlet."

"And I'm Harry Potter," said the boy. The guild members sniggered when they heard Harry's surname, but stopped when Makarov gave them a glare.

He turned his gaze to Erza and Harry, who were waiting for Makarov to speak.

"Reedus, can you go get the stamps?"

A man with orange hair in a witch's hat, wearing a white T-shirt, stood up. He went to a table placed at the end of the hall, and took out a stamp. He also took a box with him. Reedus went over to Makarov, and gave him the stamp and the box.

Makarov opened the box, inside was an array of colors that would be used for the stamp.

He looked at Harry and Erza. "Every member of Fairy Tail is branded with the guild's logo, signifying that they are a member of our guild. So, where do you want your Fairy Tail stamp to be located, and what color would you like?"

Erza and Harry looked at each other, small smiles on their faces.

"Blue, I want mine here," said Erza, holding up her left upper arm.

"I want mine here, the color is green," said Harry, holding up his right upper arm.

Makarov nodded, he dipped the stamp in the blue color on the box, and placed it gently on Erza's left upper arm. He then dipped it in the color green, and stamped Harry's right upper arm with the Fairy Tail logo.

Makarov grinned. "Congratulations, you are now official members of Fairy Tail!

That day, the guild partied until the night.

-One year later-

Erza was looking at job offerings. It had been one year since she and Harry had joined Fairy Tail. Upon joining, Makarov told them that each mage has a sort of affinity to a certain type of magic. He told Erza that she looked like she was leaning more into Requip magic (magic involving storing items in a pocket dimension), unlike the telekinesis she showed back when they were tested. Harry, Makarov told them, was closer to mental magic (telepathy, telekinesis, etc.) than anything else, and that he had potential to be better than Erza at telekinesis.

To replace her right eye, Makarov took Erza to Fairy Tail's resident medical advisor, Porlyursica. The old lady (Makarov was chased with a broom when he called her that) fashioned an artificial eye for her. The red haired girl cried tears of joy when her eye was healed, but only in her real, left one. She doesn't mind though, as she had shed half her tears already.

The memories at the Tower, however, still haunt the two. Erza coped with the nightmares by wearing armor, a habit she developed not long after she joined the guild. She also started a rivalry with another guild member, Mirajane, a temperamental girl who they learned was the one that started punching people when Harry activated his magic. She often kept to herself, only talking when needed. The only one she talked freely to was Harry.

Harry, on the other hand, dealt with the tragedy by cooking. He would often lock himself in the kitchen, only talking to anyone when a customer ordered. The only one he would talk freely to was Erza, and sometimes Mirajane, who he found out loved cooking as much as he does.

Erza, going with her affinity, started to learn Requip magic. One year after she joined Fairy Tail, she had gotten very good at her specialty. She can now easily switch from weapon to weapon, and had even begun to switch between armors. Because her type of magic involves melee combat, Erza was forced to learn hand to hand fighting, something which came to her almost naturally.

Harry, also going by his affinity, dabbled in mental magic. A year after he and Erza escaped from the Tower, he had become an expert at manipulating emotions, as well as a decent user of telekinesis. He had even started studying telepathy (which pissed off Warren Rocko, Fairy Tail's resident telepath, to no end).

-Guild dining hall-

"Mirajane, one order of beef casserole with chicken soup on the side please!" shouted another Fairy Tail member, Macao Conbolt.

"Stop shouting at me!" replied Mirajane, before walking up to the small window where food from the kitchen comes out.

"Hey Harry, Macao wants some beef casserole and chicken soup," she said.

"Got it," said the bespectacled boy, before going into the stock room to take out the necessary ingredients.

While Harry was cooking the order, Mirajane walked over to Erza.

"So armor girl, have you found an easy job yet?"

"I'm not in the mood for you Mirajane," replied Erza. She took a breath. "I'm looking for a challenging job, one with a high reward."

Mirajane frowned. "Oh, be sure not to get yourself killed now."

Erza gave her a glare, "I'd say the same for you, the only jobs you take are those that involve walking pets."

Which of course angered the white-haired girl; Mirajane grabbed Erza on the shoulder, and turned it to face her. "What did you say?"

Erza smirked. "You heard me, I say you're only taking the easy jobs."

"Oh that's it!"

Mirajane grabbed hold of a nearby bottle, and threw it at Erza, who ducked. The bottle hit Macao.

"Hey, who did that?"

He looked around, and saw Reedus chuckling at him. Incorrectly assuming the man to be the one who threw the bottle…

"You're going to pay for that Reedus!"

He threw his plate at the witch man, who dodged out of the way. The plate hit another guild member, Gray Fullbuster, the one dressed only in shorts one year prior.

Gray was hit with chicken bones and soy sauce. And he was angry.

"Macao!"

He dove for Macao, who grabbed another guild member, a pink haired Dragon Slayer named Natsu Dragneel, and used him as a shield. All three crashed to the floor, toppling other chairs and tables in a domino effect. Of course, everybody's mad.

Moments later, the entire guild has broken into a massive brawl. Everything not under twenty kilograms was thrown, and sometimes above, like other people. Macao, Natsu, and Gray had angered half of the guild, and were being ganged up on. Erza and Mirajane, the ones who started the fight, ended up underneath the job requests, a rolling mass of fists and kicks. Makarov sat on the bar, unaffected by everything that was happening around him.

Fifteen minutes into the fight, the kitchen window opened, and Harry poked his head out.

"Macao, I have what you ordered…" he started.

Before he had to duck when the stamp box came flying his way. The box exploded in the middle of the kitchen, spraying permanent ink on every single thing in the room. Harry stared at his sanctuary.

He saw red.

The fight was escalating to the point that people were starting to use magic. At this point, Makarov stopped being his jolly self and adopted a serious expression. He was about to interfere in the fight when he felt fear.

Makarov only felt some fear; everybody else was paralyzed with terror.

Everyone, save Makarov, was unable to move. Erza, the one most used to Harry's magic because both of them often take jobs together, looked horrified.

"Somebody angered Harry," she said, holding Mirajane by the arms.

Makarov smiled. "Turn your heads toward the kitchen," he said.

They all did, and they saw the incarnation of Death.

Well, not really, but an angry Harry might as well be. He was standing there, dressed in a maroon shirt and brown pants covered with a white apron. Surrounding him were dozens of knives, all of different colors, and all of them glowing green.

He stepped forward, and everyone (except Makarov) felt even more fear. "No one messes with the kitchen," he intoned.

He thrust his hand in front of him, and the knives flew forward.

The poor souls in the line of fire (Macao, Natsu, and Gray), were pinned to the wall in bizarre positions. Everyone else stopped fighting, afraid that they will become the next target for kitchen utensils. The brawl was pretty much finished after that.

Makarov rapped the counter hard. "Alright everyone, clean up time," he called.

All the guild members obliged, and started picking up chairs, smashed wine bottles, and the three people stuck to a wall.

As they were cleaning, Erza approached Harry.

"Harry, I found a simple high paying job for us."

Harry turned to her. "Great, what is it?"

"We need to get a griffin claw for a medicine store. They are willing to pay eight hundred thousand jewels for it."

Harry stared at her, and exclaimed.

"You call that simple?"

"What, it's very straightforward. All we need to do is get a griffin claw and we're done."

"Have you thought about the danger that the job will bring?"

"Yes, and that's why you're coming along."

Not able to think of a comeback, Harry sighed. "Can I talk you out of it?"

"No."

He smiled. "Alright, let's just finish cleaning, and then we'll get going."

Erza smiled as well.

-A castle-

It had been four years. Four years since Harry Potter disappeared from the eyes of the wizarding world. Four years of not knowing where the Boy Who Lived had vanished to.

Albus Dumbledore sighed. He and the Order of the Phoenix had searched everywhere for the boy.

Nothing. No leads, no traces, nothing. It was like Harry had suddenly vanished into thin air. Dumbledore himself went to Privet Drive and to the Dursleys, but found that even Harry's relations had no idea where he went (and were grateful for it). The many wards he placed on the house turned up empty.

He rubbed his forehead. In just a few short weeks, school will be starting again. And this year, Harry Potter was supposed to start his magical education. Numerous owls had been sent to his location, all of which came back with the acceptance letter still in their mouths.

Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix, flew next to him. Fawkes started to sing a song, a beautiful tune that invigorated Dumbledore. He stroked the bird's magnificent plumage, before smiling.

"You're my last hope for finding Harry Potter old friend," he said, giving the phoenix a letter, "I wish you luck."

Fawkes nuzzled him softly, before disappearing in a puff of smoke and fire.

Dumbledore stared at the place where Fawkes was once before, then returned to his desk. Now he can only wait.

-Magnolia Town, Fairy Tail building-

"Ready to go Harry?" asked Erza.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Harry replied.

Both of them went on their way to the mountains, where griffins were rumored to have been seen. Erza had brought a suitcase packed with items Harry has no idea about, though he guessed they were extra weapons and armor (they weren't). He himself carried a backpack with clothes. Thornby's sword was strapped to the top of the pack.

They never knew that a phoenix arrived at the guild just moments after they left.

-A few minutes later-

The cleaning is complete, and the guild members have returned to their normal, everyday routines.

"Man, the food isn't as good as it used to when Harry was here," complained Macao.

"You got a problem with my cooking?" asked Mirajane.

"N-no, it's just that, Harry is focused solely on cooking, while you also act as a waitress." ("A really scary waitress," whispered Gray to Natsu.) "That means Harry can concentrate more on what he's doing," said Macao.

"Yeah, and your fights with Erza really liven things up," said Reedus.

Mirajane sighed. "I just hope armor girl won't die from this one, I have to show her I don't take only easy missions!"

At that moment, a burst of fire appeared on the middle of the hall.

Everybody tensed. Was this an attack? A warning? A fireworks display?

No. It was a phoenix. The bird landed elegantly on the floor of the hall. There was a letter clamped onto its beak. He looked left and right, looking for a particular someone. When he didn't find him, the phoenix flew to who he thought was the master of the place, Makarov.

"Hello, who's the letter for?" Makarov asked the phoenix when the bird flew to him.

The phoenix gave him the letter, and Makarov looked at who the letter was for. He was surprised.

"This is for Harry!" he exclaimed.

This made the guild members curious.

"What, Harry?"

"What a cool way to send a letter."

"I wonder how a phoenix will taste."

"Who's the letter from?"

Makarov read the front of the letter. With some difficulty, he read.

"Somewhere called Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry."

This piqued the interest of the guild members more.

"There's a school like that?"

"Who would name a school Hogwarts?"

"Why is Harry given a letter from the school?"

"Silence!"

Everybody stopped talking and looked at Makarov, who pocketed the letter. He turned to the phoenix.

"Would I be right to assume that it was Dumbledore who sent you?" he asked it.

The phoenix gave him an action which he interpreted as an affirmative. Makarov nodded.

"I'll give this to Harry when he gets back from his job."

The phoenix made a sound, spread his wings, and disappeared in a burst of flame.

Chaos.

"Master, who is this Dumbledore guy?"

"Where did the phoenix disappear to?"

"Why didn't we catch it?"

"Why is Harry the only one given?"

"Quiet!"

And everybody stopped talking again.

"I'll answer some of your questions, but others I'm afraid, would have to wait until Dumbledore gets here," said Makarov.

-Hogwarts, headmaster's office-

Dumbledore looked up as Fawkes returned. Imagine his relief when he found that the phoenix no longer had the letter in his beak.

"Fawkes, did you find Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Fawkes made an action that seems to suggest "yes and no".

"That's wonderful! Where did you find where he was staying at?"

Fawkes a series of movements which will look strange for a common person, but something which Dumbledore understood completely.

"Earth-land? He is in Earth-land?" he asked, unable to belief what he was seeing.

Fawkes made a yes, and Dumbledore asked again.

"Where on Earth-land Fawkes, tell me." He was trying very hard not to scream at his phoenix.

Fawkes made another series of movements, which astonished Dumbledore.

"He is with Fairy Tail?"

Fawkes nodded.

Outside, Dumbledore looked calm and composed, but in his mind, it was a completely different story.

-Dumbledore's mindscape-

A tiny Dumbledore was banging his head on his desk.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…!"

-Hogwarts-

"How could I have forgotten to look there?" Dumbledore asked himself.

He shook his head. "I shall visit them now," he announced, grabbing a cloak and a cauldron.

He took out his wand and pointed it at the cauldron.

"Portus."

The cauldron glowed for a moment, before the light vanished. Dumbledore grabbed it, and was instantly whisked away.

Fawkes looked at where his master was once standing, before he shook his head. He had forgotten to tell Dumbledore that Harry was currently away on a mission.

-Magnolia Town, Fairy Tail guild-

After the initial shock that the phoenix brought faded, the guild has returned to its regular stupor.

Which was broken again when a vortex appeared in the middle of the room.

Everybody tensed again. Who is it this time? Has the phoenix arrived with his master? Why is it always in the middle of the room?

It wasn't the phoenix. Instead of a bird, the guild members were looking upon an old man with a long white beard, wearing robes and a hat decorated with stars. The man was holding a wand on his right hand, and a cauldron in another.

The guild members activated their magic; ready to defend their guild from the intruder should he make a wrong move inside their building. But…

"Dumbledore!"

"Makarov!"

Makarov and Dumbledore went to the other and shook hands like they haven't seen each other in ten years.

"It's been ten years since you came to visit Dumbledore," said Makarov.

"And this place hasn't changed at all," replied Dumbledore.

Makarov and Dumbledore started to chat about all the things they missed, updating each other on the events of their respective worlds.

The guild members can only watch, flabbergasted.

Makarov then cut to the chase.

'So, Dumbledore, I suppose you are here for Harry?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, it had been four years since he disappeared from our world."

Makarov raised an eyebow. "Four years? Harry hasn't been with the guild for over a year."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "He has been with Fairy Tail for only a year? But what happened during the other three?"

"I don't know Dumbledore, he and a girl, Erza Scarlet, came here a year ago, dressed in torn clothes and barefoot, asking to join the guild."

Dumbledore was shocked. Someone kidnapped Harry and made him a slave, and somehow escaped.

He clenched his fist. "Where is he now?"

"Harry and Erza are out on a mission I'm afraid, I estimate they will return two days from now." What mission they were on though, I have no idea."

Dumbledore nodded. He didn't like not knowing about things. "Can I stay here until then?"

Makarov smiled happily. "Of course, you are an honorary member of Fairy Tail! Make yourself at home as much as you want!"

He then turned to a female guild member, Levy McGarden.

"Levy, please prepare a room for our guest, Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry."

Levy got up from her seat. "Yes master."

Dumbledore smiled at the hospitality of his hosts. He got up from his seat and moved to the job offerings. Makarov joined him a few seconds later.

"I'm just wondering what kind of job Harry and his friend have gotten themselves into," said Dumbledore.

Makarov patted his friend at the back. "I wouldn't worry about it Albus. Harry and Erza are two of Fairy Tail's most promising mages. I'm sure they're fine."

"I hope you're right Makarov, I hope you're right."

Makarov then started telling Dumbledore about what Harry and Erza had done for the past year, what type of magic they were attuned to, and how Fairy Tail changed over the years.

Dumbledore cannot help but smile. He looked out the window, and hoped Harry was okay.

-Mountains-

"Harry, duck!"

Harry jumped out of the way when a rock went tumbling towards him.

He and Erza had found a griffin on the side of the mountain. As night was settling over them, they decided to wait until the griffin had slept before cutting one of its talons. Needless to say, the griffin woke up while they were trying to saw off a claw, and it was not happy.

Erza had managed to wound the griffin, which only caused the creature to get angrier, it slashed a claw at Erza, who didn't dodge fast enough. Her leg was struck with the claw.

She screamed in pain.

"Erza!" shouted Harry. He moved towards her, but then he saw movement to his left. He barely had time to raise his left arm to block a rock thrown his way. His arm was broken, but had he not blocked it, the rock would have surely hit his head and killed him.

The griffin started to fly off the ground.

"No! If it flies, we're never going to catch it!" shouted Erza.

Harry stared at the situation, before pointing a hand at the griffin. The griffin glowed green. It suddenly stopped flapping its wings, but it was still floating in midair. Erza looked at it, and then at Harry.

"Nice work Harry!" she said.

"Do it now Erza, while it can't move!" shouted Harry as the griffin started struggling. Harry strained to maintain his control. He raised the calm emotions of the griffin, making the creature move less.

Erza nodded, she jumped at the griffin. A sword materialized out of her hand. She whacked the griffin with the flat side of the blade, knocking the creature out. The griffin crashed to the ground with a _thud._

Harry released his telekinesis, panting. Erza landed on her good leg, breathing heavily. They moved towards the griffin. Harry took out his sword, and cut off a claw, one from the hind feet, and one from the front. He pocketed the claws.

Erza was nursing her broken leg.

"Hey Erza, are you going to be okay?" Harry asked.

"I'll live."

"Come on; let's get some splints for your leg."

"And a sling for your arm," replied Erza.

She and Harry looked at each other, then promptly started laughing.

-Fairy tail guild, a day later, lunchtime-

Dumbledore and Makarov were seated on a table waiting for Mirajane to serve them their orders, when the doors of the guild building burst open.

Harry and Erza walked in. Both of them looked worse for wear. Harry was sporting many cuts on his arms and face, while his left arm was held by a sling. Erza looked even worse, her armor was dented in many places, her hair was a mess, and her leg was wrapped in splints and bandages. She was leaning heavily on a staff.

Nevertheless, the both of them looked happier than they had been ever since they joined Fairy Tail.

Everyone rushed to their side.

"Harry, Erza, you're back!"

"You two looked like you've just gone five rounds with a meat grinder."

"What happened?"

"Excuse me, can I see the two of them?"

Everybody stepped aside when Dumbledore and Makarov pushed their way through the crowd.

Dumbledore took out his wand and pointed it at the two. Both of them glowed a faint green, a deeper shade than when Harry uses telekinesis.

At once, the cuts and injuries Harry and Erza sustained began to disappear. After a few moments, all of their wounds were healed completely.

Dumbledore pocketed his wand. "Go on, your wounds are now healed."

Harry and Erza blinked. They moved the broken parts of their bodies, and sure enough, the broken bones were mended, almost like it wasn't broken in the first place.

"Who are you sir?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore smiled. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of the Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry."

Harry looked confused. "Uh, Hogwarts, where is that?"

Makarov stepped forward. "This is for you Harry." He gave Harry the letter he got from Fawkes yesterday.

Harry took it. He opened it.

"Dear Mister Potter, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry."

Dumbledore watched eagerly as Harry read the letter, confusion in his face.

When Harry finished reading the letter, he looked at Makarov. "Master, is this an acceptance letter for a magic school?" he asked, completely confused.

Makarov looked at Dumbledore, who spoke up. "Harry, can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

Harry looked at him, then at Makarov, then at Erza, before nodding.

"Okay, but can Erza and Master Makarov come as well?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. Makarov would come whether or not he wanted to, but the girl was a different story. He had not planned on letting the girl on the secret.

'_But then,'_ he thought, _'perhaps having someone to confide to will ensure that Harry will not refuse.'_

"I suppose there is no reason for her not to come, very well then."

Dumbledore led the other three to the room he was staying at.

**Author's note**: The sheer number of Favorites and Story alerts has inspired me to write another chapter. And here it is, chapter two of Fairy Warts, where Dumbledore makes his debut.

I notice that many of this kind of stories involve bashing Dumbledore. I am not that kind of author. I do not bash characters just to make myself feel good. You will not see me bash anyone in this story, apart from Dumbledore bashing himself in the head in his mindscape.

I hope you like this chapter, and please read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All elements featured in this story are not my own.**

**Chapter 3**

-Fairy Tail building-

Harry just sat there, his head hung down in front of him. Dumbledore stared at him intently. "Harry, I know it's hard to accept, but I…"

"It's not that Mister Dumbledore. I don't care about the fact that this Moldy-butt guy…"

"Voldemort, Harry," Dumbledore corrected, though he was having a very hard time keeping a straight face. Makarov and Erza knew too little about Voldemort to get the joke.

"Yeah, him, murdered my parents. I don't even care that you made me live with my aunt and uncle for seven years. Because if you hadn't I would never been kidnapped in the first place, and I never would have become part of Fairy Tail."

'_And this mess would have been avoided,'_ Dumbledore thought.

Harry continued. "Really, I don't care, that's all in the past. What matters is what's going to happen now. And because of that, I don't think I'll take your offer of going to Hogwarts."

Dumbledore nodded, Makarov smiled, while Erza looked indifferent. Makarov and Erza have decided that they will not influence Harry's decision, no matter what it may be.

Harry looked at all of them, and took a breath. "I mean, I know I can study all kinds of magic at the school, and even learn what kind of persons my parents were, but I think I can be of more use if I stay here," he said.

Nobody spoke. Harry continued. "You see, if I stay here, I'll be able to hone my own magic more; I'll also be able to do more missions for the guild, which will increase our reputation. Plus there's the fact that I'm the cook."

'_And because you will do more jobs, you get rich quicker,'_ Erza thought.

Harry expected Dumbledore to either humbly accept Harry explanation, or lash out in uncontrollable anger. He didn't expect the old man to suddenly smile while looking like a villain with a devious plan.

"Of course Harry. I anticipated that your loyalty to Fairy Tail will prevent you from going to Hogwarts. Because of that I am wiling to offer a compromise."

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "And what would that compromise be Albus?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Makarov, since Harry Potter is a member of Fairy Tail, I am going to hire him for a mission."

The eyes of all three fairy Tail members widened. Makarov started to chuckle, Erza began to smirk, and Harry's jaw dropped.

Dumbledore noticed their reactions, and mentally patted himself on the back.

"His job will be to learn other types of magic from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He will be given the reward of eight million Jewels–"

Harry's jaw dropped even more.

"–paid in eight instalments. The first million jewels will be given in… young lady what date is it today?"

"August the fifth," Erza replied, before nudging Harry hard in the ribs.

"He got you there Harry," she whispered to her stunned friend.

"The first million jewels will be given on the last week of August, where I shall fetch Mister Potter for the start of term. The next million will be given should Harry attend another year at Hogwarts, and so on," Dumbledore said.

Makarov was still chuckling, which soon turned into full-fledged laughter moments later. Harry was in a state of disbelief; Erza was smirking at him, while Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling as he watched the three.

He snapped out of his shock, and looked at the other three. "Don't I get a say in this?" he asked weakly. But between Makarov laughing like a maniac, Dumbledore smiling triumphantly, and Erza very close to sniggering, the answer would be a resounding 'no'.

When Makarov finally stopped laughing, he spoke.

"Finding loopholes as always, that's just like you Dumbledore," he said.

Dumbledore simply smiled at the compliment.

He looked at Harry and Erza. "Now Harry, its best that you take up as many jobs as you can until the end of August, take Erza with you if you want, it'll make the jobs easier."

Harry didn't reply, he didn't know what to say.

Makarov then turned to Dumbledore. "Come Albus, let us enjoy the breakfast Mirajane has prepared for us, I'm sure it's done by now."

He moved to open the door, but stopped when he heard a stampede of feet just outside.

Sighing, he looked at Dumbledore. "Are you coming?"

"Right behind you Makarov," said Dumbledore, and the two of them left the room. There were footprints, and some flattened Fairy Tail members, on the corridor outside.

Harry and Erza stayed behind, with Erza still smirking at Harry. He looked at Erza. "I have a question. How did all of this start again?"

Erza snickered. "Well, it all began when you were born Harry."

Harry stared at her for a few minutes, before sighing.

-A few weeks later, last week of August-

Harry stuffed last minute items into his newly bought Vortex bag (capable of holding more than it appears able to, available at Heart Kreuz For Men for ninety thousand Jewels). He used the last weeks before Dumbledore will fetch him to do as many missions as he can. Most of these jobs were from the same medicinal company (Dr. Quack's Medicine Inc.) that hired him to get the griffin claws.

In one mission he was tasked to make a frogzard cry. A frogzard is an extremely adaptable creature that looked like a cross between a frog and a meat eating dinosaur, whose tears have healing properties. They're also incredibly stupid. Harry was forced to do slapstick comedy to get the animals to cry in laughter.

Another job has him wandering the forests around Magnolia in the middle of the night, looking for medicinal mushrooms. He ended up being chased by a horde of breloom, a type of sentient mushroom with black belt level martial arts skills, when he mistook one of them for the one he was looking for.

But it was all worth it, as Harry was able to buy many items he needed for his stay at Hogwarts. Among them was the said Vortex sling bag, which can hold a near infinite number of items. He also bought Gale-Force Reading Glasses, special reading glasses that allow the user to read at an accelerated pace. And finally he bought a fountain pen, just because.

That day was the day Dumbledore was scheduled to get him, and Harry packed most of his clothes for his one year stay in Hogwarts.

He was wrapping Thornby's sword in bandages when Mirajane burst through his room.

"Harry! Master said to come and get you! He said that old man is already here!" she shouted quite loudly. She looked around for Harry, and found him rubbing his nose. "What are you doing?"

"Rubbing my nose after you surprised me and made me smash my face into the sword."

Mirajane rolled her eyes. "Whatever, get your junk out and let's go."

Harry grabbed his bag and followed Mirajane into the dining area, where seemingly everyone was waiting for them. Dumbledore sat with Makarov in the center, clutching what seemed to be an iron pot with legs. Erza stood next to them.

"Hello Harry," Dumbledore said.

"Hello," Harry said back.

"Take care Harry," Erza said, moving beside him, and seemingly ready to-

"Back at you," was the reply, before he pulled Erza into a tight embrace. The other one was not surprised, and returned the hug, completely oblivious to the smirks, whistles, and jealous faces that were directed at them. They let go a few seconds later, both feeling more relieved and confident than before.

Dumbledore stood up. He walked to a corner of the building, and placed the iron pot there. He took out his wand and pointed it at the pot. "Portus."

The pot glowed brightly, then returned back to normal a few seconds later.

Dumbledore turned to the crowd. He pointed to the new portkey. "That pot, now a portkey, will be used as a mailbox. Harry will be able to deliver whatever he wants to deliver to you, and vice versa, using this pot. It will teleport to my office, where it will spend a day there, every thirty days, don't touch it when it does, or else you will find a part of your body missing, along with the pot," Dumbledore said.

Harry smiled. He would be able to keep in touch with the guild after all. The same couldn't be said for some Fairy Tail members though, who were planning on visiting Harry (and had no idea Dumbledore was lying).

Dumbledore then returned to the center of the dining area. He pulled out a woolly sock and beckoned Harry to hold the piece of clothing. At the latter's confused expression, he spoke. "This is a time-activated portkey Harry, we will use this to travel back to England."

"Oh, okay."

Harry touched the sock, while Dumbledore took out a silver pocket watch.

"It is nearly time Harry," he said.

As one, the Fairy Tail members said their farewells.

"Take care, Harry."

"The food will not be the same without you, man!"

"Come back here stronger, Harry!"

"Good luck!"

"Thanks you guys!" Harry yelled back to them all. He was practically in tears.

And with that, the portkey activated, and Harry and Dumbledore were whisked away. It will be a long time before Harry can see his fellow guild members again.

-Hogwarts-

Dumbledore and Harry arrived in the headmaster's office. Dumbledore stood proud and tall, Harry kneeled beside him, and looked like he was just about ready to vomit.

He chuckled at the bespectacled boy. "Not fond of travelling by portkey, Harry?"

Harry glared at him. "No. There was something that grabbed me by the stomach and pulled me in."

"Ah, that is what all wizards will feel when they use a portkey."

Harry finally got his breakfast under control. "Where are we Mister Dumbledore?"

"We are in my office Harry. During your time at Hogwarts, I would like to ask you to call me professor, or sir, do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Harry said, who stood in awe of the many magical items that were in the office, which ranged from a simple stone basin that must have held something special, to what looked like a delicate old witch's hat with a tear on the middle. He was especially intrigued by the portraits, which were sleeping silently in their frames.

Dumbledore smiled. "You can admire the portraits later Harry, right now we have to buy your school supplies. Come."

He beckoned the boy to follow him out of the room, and they both left Dumbledore's office.

-Outside Hogwarts grounds-

Dumbledore led Harry outside the enormous school grounds. Once they were beyond the gates, Dumbledore stopped.

"Grab my arm Harry; we are going to do a side-along Apparition," he said.

"Side-along Apparition?"

"Yes, Apparition is a method used by wizards here to instantly get from one place to another. Side-along Apparition is simply having one person who cannot Apparate join one who can."

"Wow, you can do that?"

"Yes, but it is a very dangerous method of transportation. Many wizards don't bother with it because of the risk that they will leave something important behind, like their brain."

Harry had a sudden vision of someone's head lying on a street, their body many miles away. He gulped.

Seeing the child's worried look, Dumbledore gave him a reassuring smile. "Do not worry Harry, I am a proficient enough user of Apparition that I am confident you can keep all of your body parts while travelling with me."

Giving the old man a nervous chuckle, Harry nonetheless took hold of Dumbledore's wrist. "If you are ready to go, you might want to close your eyes," Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded and closed his eyes.

What he felt next was something akin to him being forced through a tube. It was an extremely weird sensation, even weirder than when he first tried to use telekinesis on himself. He ended up being on a hospital bed when Erza thought he was peeking on her while she was bathing.

He opened his eyes, and blinked at the change in scenery. The two of them were standing in the middle of a pub that looked similar to the one back at the guild. People stared at them for a few moments, before returning back to their businesses. Clearly Dumbledore was a regular at the bar. Just outside the building, a sign that said 'The Leaky Cauldron' could be seen through the window.

Harry realized this was a perfect opportunity to try out his telepathy. He reached out to everyone in the pub, sans Dumbledore, and pried into their minds as far as he dared. Fortunately for him, none of his targets noticed his tampering in their minds.

"Of course, the next shipment of cocaine will be delivered next week."

"No, no, no, Jim. If you want me to make more of those blades, you must construct additional pylons."

"We will summon him this evening."

"This is for the Swarm."

Harry released his telepathy and adopted a nervous look. It looked like not everyone in the pub was there for a simple drink.

Dumbledore walked over to the bartender, who was cleaning some glasses with a cloth.

"Good morning Tom, Harry and I would like to get to Diagon Alley to buy supplies. He is starting school this year, you see."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "This is rare; the headmaster of Hogwarts himself is assisting a student in buying supplies. So who's the lucky kid?" He looked over at Harry, who looked back at him, Tom then noticed the scar. "My word, it's Harry Potter!" At that single statement, everyone in the pub froze and looked at Harry.

"Is it really him?"

"Yes, I see the scar, it really is Harry Potter!"

"Where had he been all these years?"

"Can I have his autograph, mom?"

The crowd slowly moved toward Harry, who backed away from them and into Dumbledore. The man laughed softly. "It would seem that your disappearance has not lessened your fame, Harry."

"Gee, you think?"

Dumbledore smirked, he turned to Tom. "We will be going now I think Tom." He led Harry out of the pub.

"Wait Mister Potter, I'd like to ask a few questions!"

"I love you Mister Potter!"

"I haven't gotten your autograph Mister Potter!"

-The brick wall outside of the Leaky Cauldron-

"This is it Harry."

They were facing a brick wall. Harry raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Err…"

Dumbledore looked at Harry. "Not to worry, you will see it soon." He took out his wand, and pressed a brick near the center of the wall.

And almost like it was being washed away, the brick wall dissolved right before Harry's disbelieving eyes.

Before them was Diagon Alley.

Smirking, Dumbledore pulled Harry inside. "There is no time to waste Harry, we have much to do."

Harry was getting dizzy. He kept looking from shop to shop, and tried to take in everything at the same time.

There was a shop called Eyelops Owl Emporium, which supposedly sold pets for wizards. Another shop was aptly named Junk Shop, and sold second-hand items for bargain prices. Yet another one was Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, and sold the weirdest flavours in an ice cream Harry had ever seen.

'_Who names these shops?_' he thought.

Dumbledore smiled at his young companion's enthusiasm.

He led Harry to the largest building in the alley, an imposing white structure that screamed 'stronghold' to everyone that saw it.

On the outside of the building, a sign that read Gringotts Wizarding Bank, swayed in the wind. The door of the building is adorned with a plaque warning thieves to stay out.

_To all bastards who think they can rob us, come in. You'll never get out alive._

"This is the only wizarding bank in England Harry, Gringotts. It is run by goblins, because their greedy nature makes them the ideal guardians of money. Your parents left you a small amount of money before they died, and we're here to withdraw some for your school supplies," Dumbledore said.

He and Harry went inside, and Harry saw strange humanoid creatures that he assumed were the goblins. They were significantly shorter than a human, with pointed ears and wrinkled faces, and they were sporting expressions that tell Harry they take their jobs seriously.

Dumbledore walked to the front desk. "I would like to withdraw money from Vault 687, the Potters' vault," he said.

The goblin at the desk nodded, he took out a quill and a form.

"Because the vault has not been used for ten years, I would like for the new owner to sign his name on the form."

Harry stepped forward, took the quill, and made to sign the paper. But as he wrote the first stroke of his signature, he felt pain. He quickly lifted the quill from the form. He looked at the goblin.

The goblin looked back at him apathetically, as if the pain of a minor did not bother him the slightest. "That is a special quill that uses the users' blood as ink; it will form a contract with you and the bank, signifying that you are the new owner of Vault 687. It will also verify your claim as a relative or a friend of the former owner."

Harry gave him a nervous nod, and signed the paper, ignoring the pain the writing caused.

The goblin took the form away from him. He looked at the new contract, and then at Harry. "Now that the contract is complete, you may now use the vault freely. Do you have a key to the vault?" he asked Harry.

Harry didn't know you need a key to open the vault. "Err…"

Dumbledore came to the rescue. He pulled out a silver key from his pocket. "I have the key of the previous owner here."

The goblin took the key from Dumbledore. "Very well then. Griphook! We have clients!"

A goblin walked towards them. "Good morning sirs, I am Griphook, and I shall be your guide to your vaults," he said, taking the key as well as the signed form from the other goblin, "Follow me."

Harry and Dumbledore followed him.

Griphook led them to what looked like a mineshaft. There were train tracks on the hallway leading to the vault, as well as carts that ride on the tracks. Griphook motioned them to one of the carts. As soon as all of them were safely seated, he pushed a lever, and the cart sped through the hallway.

The cart twisted and turned, going from one corridor to another, until finally it stopped by a vault with the number 687 on top of it.

"We have arrived. Mister Potter, here is your free leather money bag, for making a contract with Gringotts Wizarding Bank," Griphook said, and handed Harry a small leather bag.

All three got off the cart and walked to the entrance, which, oddly enough, has no keyhole. Griphook took the key from his pocket, and pushed the key into the door. The key seemingly melted into the door, which opened a second later.

And revealed enormous piles of gold, silver, and bronze coins. Harry's eye widened and his jaw dropped.

His parents were rich.

As Harry stood outside dumbfounded, Dumbledore strode forward, took the leather bag from Harry, and proceeded to take some coins, golden, silver and bronze, away from the pile. He closed the bag, and returned to where Harry was still staring blankly into space.

Griphook snapped his fingers, pulling Harry out of his trance. "Mister Potter, I will explain to you the wizarding currency. The gold coins are called Galleons, the silver coins are Sickles, and the bronze ones Knuts. A Galleon is worth 17 Sickles, and a Sickle is worth 29 Knuts."

Harry nodded slowly, still in awe from the amount of money his parents left him.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I think our business here is done. Mister Griphook, would you kindly take us back to the reception area?"

Griphook nodded, and motioned for them to once again step into the cart.

-Gringotts lobby-

Harry sat on a chair while Dumbledore talked to the front goblin. He wondered where he would spend the money, and if the Dursleys knew about all of these. A few minutes later Dumbledore was beside him.

"Can you stay here for a little while Harry, I am going back to withdraw from a vault. I cannot tell you what is inside, it is top secret," he said.

Harry nodded, and watched as Dumbledore walked with Griphook back to the carts.

He returned an hour later, his pocket bearing a slightly noticeable bulge. "Come Harry, let us get you your supplies. Take out the acceptance letter, it should have all the items you need listed inside," Dumbledore said.

Harry got up from his seat, took out said letter, and followed Dumbledore out of Gringotts.

-Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions-

"Really Dumbledore! Bringing a student here so late into the summer! There isn't any stock of his size left for him, I would have to sew a set overnight!" Madam Malkin said angrily as she measured Harry for his school robes.

"I appreciate your hard work Madam," Dumbledore replied.

"You better!" snapped Madam Malkin back. She looked at Harry. "The measurements are complete dear, you may return here tomorrow to get your set of robes."

"Thank you." Harry smiled at Madam Malkin, and left the shop with Dumbledore.

-Slug and Jiggers Apothecary-

As Harry waited for the shopkeeper to return with the needed potions ingredients, he looked around the shop. All kinds of objects stored in jars, baskets, and the occasional pot were found in the store.

Harry was looking at one of the objects in a jar (the eye of a newt) when the shopkeeper returned.

"Here are the items you need, young sir," he said, giving Harry a paper bag filled with potions ingredients.

"Mister Jiggers, does something like a healing potion exist?" Harry asked.

Jiggers raised an eyebrow. "Why yes, it does. It's effective for minor to slightly major injuries, but mortal wounds need the attention of a healer to treat effectively. Why do you ask?"

"Um, nothing, just curious." In reality, Harry was very curious. Healing potions in Earth-land were expensive, due to the difficulty in acquiring ingredients. If Harry could find an alternative healing potion, it would drastically reduce the expense that Fairy Tail uses on hospital bills.

"Hmm, well, it's nice to know some kids are interested in potions, you'll do good in Snape's class, he's the potions professor at Hogwarts," said Jiggers.

"Thanks."

-Flourish and Blotts-

Harry was so engrossed in reading a wizarding cookbook (Crazy Magic Cuisines) that he had to be tapped in the shoulder by the clerk. "Mister Potter, the books you asked are ready."

Harry jumped, and looked at the clerk.

"What? Oh, thank you, can I buy this too?" He held up the cookbook.

The clerk smiled. "Of course, just lay it on the counter with the rest of the books."

Harry did what he asked, and waited for the clerk to give him the bill.

-A few hours later-

"I just need a wand Professor," Harry said.

"Alright then Harry, then we will go to Ollivander's, the shop is one of the finest wand makers in the world," Dumbledore said.

They made their way to a small shop beside Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment. Peeling gold letter over the door read 'Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.'. A single window illuminated the entire shop.

"I shall wait for you outside Harry," said Dumbledore.

Harry nodded, and stepped inside the store.

It was dusty, as if the shop owner had never bothered to pick up a broom to clean his stall. There were shelves that contained small boxes on all corners of the room, with the only furniture being a chair in the center and a small table on one side.

Harry was looking at one of the shelves, when a voice spoke behind him. It said quietly and airily, "Good afternoon."

Harry jumped, he instinctively brought his hands back, and levitated whoever was behind him right into one of the shelves. The man hit the shelf with a crash, and fell onto the floor.

Harry, now only realizing his mistake, moved towards the man.

"I'm so sorry, sir! Are you alright?" he asked, worried that he may have done critical damage onto the assumed shop owner.

To his surprise the man stood straight back up, dusted his clothes, and looked at him. "It is of no consequence, though I dare say I haven't had a customer use accidental magic on me since more than forty years ago. Her name was Molly Prewett, such a sweet girl, with a fiery temper."

He went to the center of the shop, and sat on the chair. "You must be Harry Potter. I still remember the days when your parents bought their wands here. Your father left this shop carrying an ash wand with a dragon heartstring core, sixteen inches long, perfect for Transfiguration. Your mother, on the other hand, preferred a yew wand with a unicorn tail core, eleven inches, excellent for Charm work."

He adjusted his position. "And now the son comes here for the first time to buy his own wand. Wands are magical items that allow wizards to use magic, each of them are made from various types of wood, with a special magical core inside of them. No wands are exactly alike Mister Potter, and really, it's the wand that chooses the wizard. Here at Ollivander's we make wands from unicorn tails, dragon heartstrings, and phoenix feathers. Though much recently I have added eagle feather to my cores, as the times change, so must the wands, don't you think?"

He gave Harry a questioning stare, which was returned with nervous chuckle. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself. I am Ollivander, and the keeper of this shop."

He got up from the chair and moved towards Harry. He pulled out a measuring tape, which began measuring the bespectacled boy on the oddest of places, namely, his foot, waist, nose, head, and shoulders. Harry watched in silent wonder that Ollivander had walked away while the measuring tape still took Harry's measurements all on its own. Ollivander came back with a small rectangular box. "Hold out your wand arm," said Ollivander.

"Err…"

"The arm you use for writing."

Harry raised his right arm, which was examined by Ollivander at every possible angle. When he was satisfied he had gotten what he needed, he went to one of the shelves, and pulled out a box. Inside was a wand. "Try this one then. Oak with unicorn tail, eighteen inches, rigid. Just give it a swing."

He gave the wand to Harry, who took the wand. But he had barely moved his hand when Ollivander snatched it out. "Not that one, let's try another."

He went back to the shelf, and pulled out another box. "How about this? Mahogany with dragon heartstring, fourteen inches, flexible."

Harry took the wand and waved it. Nothing happened. He gave it back to Ollivander.

-Outside-

To pass the time, Dumbledore bought a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, a delicacy he hasn't enjoyed since childhood. As he placed a bean in his mouth, he never noticed that it suddenly changed colour.

He bit the bean, then spat it out immediately.

"Alas! Manure!"

-Ollivander's shop-

"Hmm, not that one then, another." And he went back to the shelves.

After what seemed to be hours, and what felt like every wand in the shop, Ollivander gave Harry another wand. "Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, supple."

Harry took the wand, and he felt some warmth spread from his fingertips to his hand. He gave the wand a wave, and a few sparks came out of it.

"Hmm, compatible, but not quite. Well, that just means we're getting close!" Ollivander exclaimed.

He moved to return to the shelves, but paused suddenly, his face showed that his mind's wheel was turning. After a few seconds, he smiled.

"Why not?" he said to himself, and delved again into the shelves.

When he returned, he gave Harry another wand. "This one is a recent creation of mine. The wood came from a tree called the 'Tree of Wisdom'. The particular tree from which the wood of this wand came from is found in America, where it was instrumental in the defeat of a mad thanatologist, a person who studies the dead, who somehow found a way to reanimate dead bodies. The core is a feather from an eagle found in South-east Asia. The bird is so large and powerful that even dragons hesitate to come near it. The locals call it, the 'Haribon,' while the explorers who found the eagle simply named it, the 'Mighty Eagle'. Twelve inches, springy."

Harry nodded, and took the wand from Ollivander. This time however, he felt a chill, a chill that spread to his entire body. He waved the wand, and a trail of cold mist followed the tip.

Ollivander smiled. "Now we have found a match."

'_Finally,'_ Harry thought. He took out his money bag.

"How much for the wand Mister Ollivander?"

"Fifteen Galleons."

Harry paid for the wand, and left the shop.

He never noticed Ollivander staring at him as he exited. The man laughed softly. "So much for me predicting which wand the Boy Who Lived will take. I wonder, how this will affect the future?"

He closed the shop for the night.

-Outside the shop-

Harry found Dumbledore sitting on the nearby Ice Cream Parlor, looking very bitter indeed. "Is something wrong Professor?"

"Ah, nothing my boy, I was just reminded of why I had sworn not to eat Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans since my childhood. I assume you are done with your shopping?"

"Yes sir."

Dumbledore nodded. He got up from his seat. "Come Harry, since I had not gotten you anything for your birthday last 31st of July, I shall buy you a pet of your choosing."

He led Harry to Eyelops Owl Emporium. They arrived at the shop when it was beginning to close. Luckily, the shopkeeper allowed them to make their purchase, as long as they were quick.

Harry was amazed at the number of pets that the shop held, from the common house cat to the more exotic tarantulas and snakes. Students, however, were only allowed to bring three kinds of pets, an owl, and cat, and a toad. Harry looked all over the shop, trying to find an animal that caught his interest. He walked to each of the sections, examining each owl, cat, or toad that the cages contained.

None grabbed his attention.

"Hey kid, hurry up!" said the shopkeeper.

Harry hurried his pace, now only giving each creature a passing glance. He was about to leave the amphibians section when one animal caught his eye. It was a toad, a common toad complete with warts on the back. Except said toad was also coloured white.

The amphibian stared at him, and Harry stared right back. There was something in the toad that interested Harry, perhaps it was the colour, or maybe at the way it was staring at him, like a wizened old hermit who has experienced everything the world has to offer.

Harry picked it up and carried it to the counter, where Dumbledore was waiting.

"I'd like this one," he said.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"A toad? Many students prefer a cat or an owl, why did you choose a toad?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't know, there's something about him that drew him to me," replied Harry

Dumbledore stared at the toad, who stared back. A staring contest ensued, one which the toad won when Dumbledore averted his gaze.

"Well, if you're sure," he turned to the shopkeeper, "how much for the toad?"

"That thing? It scared off a lot of kids with the way he keeps staring at them, I'll give it to you for ten Galleons, I'll even throw in a fishbowl to keep him in," said the shopkeeper.

Dumbledore paid the amount, and also bought a book for taking care of toads (Toady Tutorials).

He and Harry left the shop and went back to the Leaky Cauldron for the night.

**Author's note**: Is Dumbledore a sneaky bastard or what? Using the loophole that Harry is part of a guild to allow him to hire the boy for a 'mission'.

I actually skipped updating my other stories in favour of this one, due to the sheer amount of attention it got.

So, I finally got myself a Beta Reader. I would like to give my thanks to HTM for offering to beta read this story. This is the Beta Version of this chapter, as you can see from the Editor's note below. Do not worry HTM, I have plans for Ginny, and pairing her up with Harry is NOT one of them. But like I said, I do not bash characters.

Unfortunately, you can expect the next update to be on April. I'll try my best to update as soon as I can, but the amount of school work our teachers are giving us is astounding. I'll be buried in school work until the end of the academic year. I hope you bear with me.

Please read and review!

**Editor's note:** My my, Isangtao, who would have thought that it would turn out _this_ way? Well, I have to say, the need of my beta reading is almost, if not, non-existent. I have to say, your grammar is at the very least understandable and decent.

And, for the love of all that is holy, DO NOT, I repeat, _**DO NOT**_ pair Harry with Ginny. If you do, I will not be held responsible for what I'd do to you. Well, granted, it'd be absolutely nothing violent, but still. The point stands. I don't like Ginny. I think that much is obvious, yes?

Also, I see what you did there when Harry looked into the mind of the people in The Leaky Cauldron. Starcraft, anyone? But of course, the first little mind walk sentence is a bit... meh, I dunno. It could be damn near anything, really, instead of a tribute to some gangster movie or something.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: This story is not my own.**

**Chapter 4:**

-September first-

It was morning. Harry was stuffing his new robes into his sling bag, his books floating all around him, waiting to be put inside the bag as well.

His toad, whom Harry had decided to name Sage, was sitting on the bed, wizened eyes staring at his new master.

A few minutes later Harry was already down the steps of the Leaky Cauldron, Sage in his pocket. He was ready to go to Hogwarts. Tom, who was cleaning mugs, looked at the newcomer.

"Ah, if it isn't Harry. Are you going to Kings Cross already?"

Harry nodded an affirmative.

"But it's still seven in the morning, the train won't be coming until eleven o'clock," Tom said.

"I'm going to be walking to the station," he replied.

Tom blinked. Sighing, he returned to cleaning the glasses. "Oh, well then. Did Dumbledore tell you how to get to the Platform?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how to get from here to Kings Cross?"

"Yes."

Tom smirked. "Well then Mister Potter, I won't be keeping you around for much longer. I wish you good luck on your stay at Hogwarts."

Harry waved, "Thanks," he said, before moving out the door.

-The streets of London-

Harry looked in awe at the advances in technology that took place while he was away. During his four year stay in Earth-land, the television had shrunk, computers were becoming commonplace, and a man named Will Doors founded a company called Miniature Pliable.

He was passing by a television store when he came upon a new reporter covering a story on the National Museum of the Philippines.

"_Archaeologists of the University of the Philippines excavating in the Mountain Province have recently uncovered the skeleton of an ancient warrior, believed to have dated back to 10 A.D. As of now, scientists are baffled as to how the skeleton managed to stay completely intact, none of its bones are missing and even the skin remained in fairly good condition. What's more puzzling is the clothes the warrior is wearing. The skeleton is dressed in what seemed to be a sleeveless shirt and a pair of pants, unlike the traditional Ifugao outfit, where males are seldom seen wearing anything resembling trousers and shirts. The skeleton was also found to be holding to a bright yellow key, the design of which is not commonly found in the area until the Spanish invasion of the islands during 1521. More updates after the break_."

Harry found himself intrigued. 'What could a Celestial Key be doing here?' he thought.

He did not dwell on the matter any further however, and resumed his walking.

-Platform 9 ¾-

The Hogwarts Express, the scarlet steam engine that is the main transportation of Hogwarts students to and from the castle to London. And Harry was staring at it dumbfounded.

It wasn't until the train had let out a loud whistle that Harry realized he needed to get onto the train.

-A few minutes later-

Harry sat alone on the very last compartment, reading both his Potions book and Transfiguration book. He was holding the Potions one with his hands while the other book floated near him. He was wearing his speed reading glasses. Sage was placed by the windowsill, looking, as usual, the wise old hermit who's probably a pervert.

He had just finished reading his Potions book when the compartment door opened.

A red-haired boy poked his head in.

"Hey, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

Harry nodded, and the boy dragged his trunk inside and sat down opposite Harry. A few moments of silence passed, before the boy spoke.

"How do you do that?" he asked.

Harry looked up from his Transfiguration book. "Do what?"

"That! Making the book float in front of you."

"Oh. Simple, really. I levitated it," Harry said. He was glad that there really was a levitation spell in his Charms book.

Dumbledore had asked him not to reveal his special magic in public, as he wanted as few people as possible to know the existence of Earth Land.

The boy looked surprised. "But you need a wand to keep that thing floating!"

Harry shrugged, "Of course. I cast the spell with a wand, but after that I just need to concentrate to keep the book levitating."

"Blimey! I never knew you could do that."

Harry smiled, and returned to his reading.

The boy, clearly wanting the conversation to continue, spoke again. "My name's Ron. Ron Weasley. What's yours?"

"Harry Potter."

Ron's eyes widened so much they could be compared to saucers. "You're Harry Potter?"

Harry tore his eyes away from the book. "Yes... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why am I looking at you like this? I'm sitting beside the famous Harry Potter!"

"So?"

"So? You're only the person to have defeated You-Know-Who!"

"Who's You-Know-Who?"

Ron paled at this, as if he was uncomfortable with something. "You don't know who You-Know-Who is?"

Harry shook his head.

Ron gulped. "You-Know-Who's…he's…Voldemort," he whispered.

Harry blinked, then he started to laugh.

Ron became confused. "What's so funny?"

"Why are you so afraid of saying Moldybutt's name?"

"How can you say his name so eas… wait, Moldybutt?"

Harry nodded.

Ron looked like his eyes were deceiving him, then he suddenly began laughing.

It was Harry's turn to ask. 'What's so funny this time?"

But Ron failed to answer his question; he was still too busy laughing.

He finally stopped after a few seconds. "I…I can't believe you would actually call You-Know-Who Moldybutt," he said, his eyes filled with tears.

Harry shrugged. "I know he calls himself Voldemort−," Ron flinched, "but I prefer to call him Moldybutt, because You-Know-Who sounds lame. At least with Moldybutt you can get people to laugh."

Ron nodded. "So Harry, do you, do you have, you know, the scar?" he asked.

"Which one?"

Ron was confused. "Huh? The scar."

"I have many scars."

"Oh," said Ron, "well, the one on your forehead."

Harry parted his bangs, and showed Ron his lightning-bolt shaped scar. "Harry, where are the other scars?"

Harry lifted his shirt, and revealed to Ron a multitude of puncture wounds and claw marks during his time in Earth-land.

Ron looked like he had seen a ghost. "W-where did you get all those injuries?"

"Um, I really don't want to talk about it."

Ron had predicted Harry wouldn't like to talk about his past, and did not press upon the subject. Harry returned to his book.

They were spared of another awkward silence when the door opened again. A plump witch pushing a cart filled with food greeted them.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" she asked pleasantly, inviting them to buy anything ranging from Chocolate Frogs to Bertie Bott's Every Flavour beans.

Ron went quiet, and muttered something about bringing his own lunch. Harry, on the other hand, bought a little bit of everything.

"Hungry, are you?" Ron asked.

"Not really. I wanted to find out how these things were made," Harry replied.

"Why would you want to know that?"

"I like to cook, and I want to make these at home."

Ron left it at that, and opened a small bag. Inside were four sandwiches. "Mum always forgets I hate corned beef," he moaned.

Harry heard this and offered a Chocolate Frog to him.

"Swap you for one of these," he said.

"You won't like these, it's all dry. I have a lot of brothers you see," Ron said.

"Don't know, don't care," was the reply. The sandwiches were promptly snatched from Ron's hand and replaced by a Chocolate Frog.

-An hour later-

Harry was watching Ron try and get his pet rat to change color when the compartment door opened again. A brown, bushy-haired girl was the culprit.

"Did any of you see a toad? A boy named Neville Longbottom just lost one," she said.

She looked around the room, and noticed Sage. "Hey. Is that toad yours?" she asked, and pointed at it.

"It's mine," Harry answered politely, but slightly possessively. He didn't want some random girl who just suddenly appeared out of the blue to run off with his cute toad, Sage.

The girl looked at Harry, disappointed at knowing that it wasn't the one she was looking for. But then her face lit up. "Oh, you're Harry Potter!"

"Um, yes…"

"I've read all about you. You were the one who defeated You-Know-Who!"

Ron can be seen snickering in the background, muttering "Moldybutt."

"It's very nice to meet you, I'm Hermione Granger," she said.

"Well, you already know me, and this is Ron Weasley," said Harry.

Ron gave Hermione a wave, which she returned with a small smile. "Well, I have to get going, Neville and I still have to find his toad. See you around at Hogwarts."

And with that, she closed the door, and Harry returned to reading, with Ron vainly trying to do the same.

-A few more hours later-

"Blimey, Harry, where did you get these reading glasses?"

Harry gave Ron a smirk, and said nothing.

Ron had asked Harry how he was able to read so fast, and Harry gave Ron his Gale-Force Reading Glasses. The red-haired boy was left breathless.

Ron was into his third book, which was about Potions, when the door opened once more. Standing outside was a very pale boy with white hair.

"I heard all around the train that Harry Potter was in this compartment," he said snobbishly.

He looked around the room, paused on Ron, and laid his eyes on Harry. "You must be Harry Potter, my name is Draco Malfoy."

"Pleased to meet you," said Harry.

Malfoy smiled, which turned into a frown a second later. "If I were you Harry, I'd pick my choice of company a little bit more carefully. I can help you there," Malfoy said, followed by him offering his hand.

Harry smiled, but left the offered hand completely ignored. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I can choose which persons I want to be with. Sorry."

Malfoy sneered. "Fine then," he said as he closed the door.

-Nightfall-

"Attention, all passengers prepare for arrival, we will be arriving in Hogsmeade in fifteen minutes, students are requested to change to their school uniforms. Leave your baggage on the train. It will be taken care of later," said a voice that emanated from the front of the train.

Harry and Ron got up from their seats. Ron opened his trunk to reveal a set of old school robes. "These robes were worn when Bill was still at school," he said.

Harry shrugged, and opened his sling bag to get his own robes.

A few minutes later older students led them down the train and onto the shores of a lake, where the largest man Harry had ever seen in his life was waiting for them. This huge man was at least twice as tall as a normal man and five times as wide. A large number of boats were floating on the lake behind this large man. "Firs' years dis way! All firs' years dis way!" the giant called. When all the first years were near him, he straightened up. "A'right, me names Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds of Hogwarts. We're goin' to go to the castle by these boats. Well, get a move on! No mord'n four to a boat," he exclaimed.

All the first years scrambled for a boat. Harry and Ron were found sitting next to Hermione and Malfoy. The girl looked very excited while the pale-faced boy looked indifferent, staring out into the seemingly empty lake.

"Ev'ryone on a boat?" Hagrid called. He had hogged a boat all to himself as big as he was. "Good then. Forward!"

And all the boats moved forward, seemingly all by themselves.

Harry looked around him, all of the students, except perhaps Malfoy, were showing signs of nervousness or excitement. He smiled, and reached out with his mind.

His brain was flooded with emotions, nearly all of them either completely nervous or very excited. Even Malfoy was felt nervous. He skillfully didn't show it though.

Harry laughed to himself, and turned to Ron.

His mind was filled with so many thoughts and plans that he had to stop immediately. He sat there, unable to believe what he had just experienced.

Ron's mind was filled to the brim with scenarios of what would play out next, and scenarios for what would happen after that.

'Man. Never judge a book by its cover,' Harry thought wisely. Apparently Ron could in fact, contrary to popular and provable belief, use his brain.

Before he can activate his magic any further, the boats stopped with a jerk, landing themselves near a shore. All the first years got off the boat.

"Watch yer step. And you there! This your toad?" Hagrid bellowed, pointing to a black-haired boy with quite the nervous look on his pudgy face.

"Trevor!" he shouted, going to Hagrid to get his toad.

Harry patted his pocket, making sure Sage would not be able to escape, before continuing towards the huge castle. They entered a massive hall, and were told to wait for further instructions.

"I wonder how the students are sorted?"

"Maybe we have to cast a spell?"

"My brother told me we have to fight a troll!"

"Really?"

"Oh, I thought it was a dragon."

Harry chuckled at this. Dumbledore already told him how the Sorting will commence.

-A few minutes later-

"What are we waiting for?"

"Yeah, what's the hold up?"

"When can we eat?"

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Many students started to scream a group of ghosts walked through the walls and floated across the room.

"I'm telling you Baron, we should give Peeves a chance to come to the opening feast."

"Absolutely not Friar. Do you remember what happened last time he was there?"

"Oh, don't be a killjoy Baron. Let Peeves come. You do know Dumbledore's going to be there."

The ghosts were still talking to each other when one of them noticed the students. "Oi, what are you lot doing here? You should be at the feast!"

"Shut it Jack, these are the first years awaiting their Sorting. Perhaps they were waiting to be called to enter the Great Hall."

At that moment, the doors to said hall opened, and a serious faced woman walked towards them.

"Good evening," she began. "I am the Transfiguration teacher and Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall. You will all now enter the Great Hall for your Sorting," she said, beckoning the students to follow her.

They entered the hall, and most of the students' jaws dropped. So did Harry's, albeit on a much, much smaller scale.

The Great Hall was a massive room, easily able to fit the entire Fairy Tail building. Thousands of candles floated above them, and the ceiling was the deep color of the night. There were four tables in the hall, and in the very front was the teacher's table. Just in front of the teacher's table was a stool with a hat with a rip in the middle.

Harry saw Dumbledore seated right in the very center of the teacher's table, his eyes closed and his fingers intertwined together.

"I read in Hogwarts, A History that the ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky above."

"Wicked."

"It's so big." Harry couldn't help but think 'that's what she said' at that.

"I'm hungry."

"Let us begin," said McGonagall. She signaled for silence, and instantly the entire hall went quiet.

The rip In the hat opened, and it began to sing, much to the astonishment of the first years.

_A thousand years ago_

_Before your granddaddy came to be_

_Four sorcerers came together_

_And founded the school you see_

_They called it Hogwarts_

_And took in students to teach them the magic arts_

_Yet these four founders were still people_

_And picked students they found capable_

_Bold Gryffindor the red_

_Wise Ravenclaw the bronze_

_Sweet Hufflepuff the gold_

_And cunning Slytherin the green_

_Each of them chose students_

_Whom stood from the rest_

_Gryffindor picked those with courage and chivalry_

_Whose bravery will never falter_

_Ravenclaw chooses the wise_

_Whose minds crave knowledge and wonder_

_Slytherin prefers cunning above all else_

_His students are resourceful, and always find a way_

_Hufflepuff simply shook her head_

_Took the rest, and taught them day by day_

_So put me on and let me peek_

_And I'll put you where you and your friends are unique!_

The hat stopped singing, and the entire hall erupted to thunderous applause. It bowed to each of the houses, and to the teacher's table, before going limp once more.

McGonagall went beside the stool. "When your name is called, you will put on the Sorting Hat. It will determine which house you belong to. After you have been sorted, go to the table of your chosen house."

Harry heard sighs of relief all around him.

McGonagall cleared her throat. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A young blonde girl walked to McGonagall.

The girl put on the hat and sat on the stool. After a few seconds, the hat roared,

"Hufflepuff!"

She took off the hat, and went to the table that was currently clapping their hands.

"Brown, Lavender!"

Another blonde stepped up to the hat, which sorted her to "Gryffindor!"

The Sorting went on, and slowly students were being sorted into the different houses.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione walked to the hat and put it on.

'**Hmm, you have an organized mind,' **the Sorting Hat said.

Hermione said nothing, too excited to speak.

'**I can clearly see it here. You categorize everything based on what you have seen before, and make new categories to things that are new to you, magic among them. This allows you to easily extract information. It is the key to your success in school. You would do well in Ravenclaw.'**

Hermione smiled.

'**But, I find that you will easily stand up for what you believe, and will stay loyal to those you care for even in tough times. I also see that those qualities are more pronounced than your organized mind, and for that I will put you in…'**

"Gryffindor!"

Hermione, though intrigued by what the Sorting Hat had said about her, nonetheless removed it from her head to go to the Gryffindor table.

The Sorting dragged on, and soon enough Malfoy was called.

He practically ran to the hat and jammed it on his head, expecting to be put immediately in Slytherin. He did not get his wish.

'**Nice try, but for a Malfoy, you're a difficult one to sort.'**

Malfoy was confused. His father told him he should expect the hat to shout Slytherin the moment it touched his head. What's going on?

'**What's going on Mister Malfoy, is that you behave more like your ancestor Solus Malfoy than your father. And get this, Solus was Sorted into another house.'**

'Which house?' Malfoy was curious to know which house Solus Malfoy was in. The man was practically the reason for the Malfoy family's success. His actions brought the once barely known family into the spotlight of the magical world.

'**Ah ah, I still have to sort you. You see Mister Malfoy, though you possess all the characteristics that have distinguished the Malfoy family for generations, I find that your diligence, loyalty to those you care for, and stubborn refusal to see anything incomplete, distinguishes you, as a person. Which is why I feel inclined to sort you to…'**

"Hufflepuff!"

Nobody spoke. Malfoy sat stunned in his seat, unable to believe what he had just heard, then he heard the Sorting Hat chuckle.

'**Oh, don't worry about it Mister Malfoy, your ancestor, the very first Malfoy to step to Hogwarts, Solus Malfoy, was a Hufflepuff.'**

Malfoy barely heard the hat, but a small smile escaped his lips, and he moved to the house that had some students clapping.

Even McGonagall was taken aback. It was a few seconds later when she realized that the Sorting has paused and shook her head.

And the Sorting continued.

-A few minutes later-

"Potter, Harry!"

Silence again. As he walked, Harry can hear whispers around him.

"Harry Potter?"

"Is it really him?"

"Where's the scar?"

"He's so cute."

He gave a nervous laugh, before putting on the Sorting hat.

'**Dear boy, what have they done to you?'**

Harry frowned, and activated his mental defenses. He did not want anyone probing his private memories. He had thought the Hat would only look at the recent ones. But he simply heard the hat laugh.

'**I'll give you points for trying. But the founders designed me so that only the most powerful mental defenses can block me. In any case, I am also sworn to not reveal anything I have seen inside you head, your secrets are safe with me.'**

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

'**Well, onto the Sorting. Hmm, basically you would fit nicely in all the houses Mister Potter. You've got guts of iron, a mind sharp as an eagle's, rock solid loyalty, and I would be lying if I said you weren't an attention seeker.**

Harry simply closed his eyes and adopted a look of bemusement.

'**Then again, from what I see, you will fit the best in only one house. Your past actions clearly show all the qualities and characteristics shown by students of…'**

"Gryffindor!"

The cheer from the Gryffindor table was deafening. As Harry took out the hat and went to his new house's table, he could hear a pair of students singing, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

He smiled, and silently hoped for Ron to be sorted to Gryffindor as well.

-A few more minutes later-

"Weasley, Ronald!"

Ron walked to the stool, and put the hat on his head.

'**By jove boy, stop thinking!' **the Sorting Hat yelled into his mind.

"Huh?" was Ron's only reply.

'**The moment you placed me on your head, you've made plans and scenarios for what would happen if you were to be placed in one house, and another set of plants and scenarios if you're placed in another house. And then you made plans for what would happen if one of those plans were to come true, and so on. By that alone, I could sort you to Ravenclaw.'**

Ron nodded nervously and sheepishly.

'**See, you're already making plans for what would happen if I sort you to Ravenclaw. But from what I see, those plans of yours always come to a point where you have to defend someone or something.'**

He chuckled.

'**You used your mind for another purpose instead of just learning and storing knowledge. I commend you for that. So, I shall put you in…'**

"Gryffindor!"

Ron grinned; he took the hat off, and made his way to Harry, who was being harassed by twins, twins who looked like an older version of him.

"Hello Ronnie, Harry was just telling us here how you met with him on the train," said one of them.

"Yes, but we want to hear it from you, little brother," said the other.

"Ron, who are these two?" asked Harry.

Ron's ears had gone pink. "Harry, I would like you to meet two of my elder brothers, Fred and George Weasley."

"Which one's Fred, and which one's George?" Harry asked.

"Ah, you'll have to find that out for yourself," Fred said. Or was it George? Harry couldn't tell the difference.

"Because not even Ronnie here can tell the difference between the two of us," Fred, or George, exclaimed happily.

Harry sighed, he reached with his mind, and found what he was looking for. "I'll keep that in mind Mister Fred," he said to Fred.

Fred blinked. "Well, Mister Potter, Ronnie, we'll see you around," he said.

"Lee Jordan is waiting for us," George said. And with that, they left.

McGonagall once again called for silence, and this time, Dumbledore stood up. "I will now give you the grandest speech ever given in the history of Hogwarts," he announced.

Everybody held their breath. Dumbledore took a deep breath, and said. "Let's eat." Before sitting down and began eating.

Silence, followed by a groan from the teachers.

"He does this every year."

"I can't believe the greatest wizard of all time could be this corny."

"Let's just eat."

But the students weren't complaining, for before them were food of all shapes and sizes. An all-you-can-eat buffet, featuring every single British dish created, as well as quite the selection of foreign dishes.

Harry of course, was more interested in how the dishes were cooked rather than how they tasted. He was receiving stares the entire meal time, especially when he poked his finger into a pie to see what was inside.

-A few minutes later-

When dessert had just been finished, and the plates cleaned and shining, Dumbledore stood up once more.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I trust that all of you had an enjoyable vacation?"

Everybody murmured an affirmative.

"Well then, now it is time for those empty minds of ours to once again be filled, and for that burned out candle to be replaced by a torch."

Dumbledore waved his hand towards the teacher's table. "Now, as you can see we have a faculty member joining us after a year of touring the world. Everyone, I give you, Professor Quirrell!"

A man with a purple turban stood up nervously, waved at the students, then sat back down rather quickly. The student's didn't even have time to clap.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Also, I would like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is prohibited from all students without the accompaniment of a teacher or by our groundskeeper, Mister Hagrid. The castle caretaker, Mister Filch, would also like to say that a list of things prohibited in the halls can be found in his office. And finally, this year at Hogwarts, a section of the third floor corridor is forbidden for anyone to enter, lest they wish to die a painful death," he said, in a grim, almost scary, tone. His face was practically the embodiment of seriousness.

The only thing heard were a few startled gasps from some of the students, followed by murmurings by others. But otherwise it could be considered quiet, deathly so even. The silence continued for a while.

"What's Hogwarts playing host to this time?"

"Did you hear about the infiltration of Gringotts earlier this week?"

"Maybe the man tried to steal something from Gringotts, and the owner asked Dumbledore to protect it at Hogwarts."

"That makes sense, with Dumbledore here, I really can't see any crime happening."

Harry was listening to the whispers curiously. While he was fetching his robes from Madam Malkin's earlier that week, he came across a newspaper article detailing the break in, which happened just a few hours after Harry and Dumbledore has left Gringotts. The article revealed that the vault the thief was trying to get into had been emptied earlier that day. Harry had theorized that whatever Dumbledore had taken from Gringotts while he waited at the lobby was the thing the thief was looking for. And it looked like his theory was proven correct.

Dumbledore broke the silence of both the staff and the students. "By this time, we should have been singing the Hogwarts hymn, but several of the teachers had threatened to resign if we sing 'that ridiculous song', as they put it. So off you go, chop chop! Quidditch tryouts will be held within the next few weeks," he added as an afterthought.

Everyone got up from their seats, and followed the Prefects to their respective dormitories.

**Author's note:** Surprised by Malfoy? That is what I was planning. This will have little importance in the story later on, but will be featured prominently. If you're thinking of his loyalty, he didn't leave Goyle behind in the Room of Hidden Things, and his persistence was shown in Half-Blood Prince, where he was tasked to find a way to kill Dumbledore. Fair Play however, he's good at finding loopholes, like nobody saying anything that he can't attack earlier during his duel with Harry in Chamber of Secrets.

By popular demand, I'm putting my other stories on hold because this one received so many alerts and favorites. I would like to thank you all for that. As usual, I'll be putting an unedited version now, and an HTM edited version after a few days.

I would like to thank HTM for Beta-Reading this story.

So, a short chapter, but one in which I have put in all the things I needed to put. As is last chapter, do not expect regular updates.

This is the Beta-Read version of the story. I omitted some parts of the Editor's note because it contained private info.

Please Read and Review!

**Editor's note:** Why thank you for thanking me! :D I am so rarely thanked for anything I do, I think. *Cries*

All joking aside, there may be some problems still with the story's grammar, tenses and spelling.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: This story is not my own.**

**Chapter 5**

-The next day, Gryffindor dormitories-

Harry woke up very early the next day. He groaned, rubbed his eyes, and sat up. After feeling his way for his glasses, he put them on and made his bed. Harry looked around the room. Nobody but him was up yet. He made his way to the window, and looked outside. It was still dark, and was probably around four-thirty in the morning.

After a bit of stretching to warm up his muscles, Harry did some light exercises. It had been a habit of his, even during the Tower of Heaven, to do a round of exercise every morning to prepare for the day ahead.

He did several push-ups, pull-ups, jumping jacks, and jogging in place. After three sets of each exercise at ten repetitions per set, he was finished.

He did a number of cool-down exercises, rested for a few minutes, and grabbed some clothes and his towel to go to the bathroom.

-A few minutes later-

Harry was finished with his bathing, and was now heading for the Great Hall for breakfast. His role as a cook for the Fairy Tail guild meant that he had to wake up before everyone else to prepare for the others' breakfast.

Today, even though he didn't need to cook, he was still eager to come down early to avoid the student rush that was sure to happen later.

He arrived at the hall, and opened the doors. It was dimly lit to ease a person's eyes into adjusting to the light. Harry looked around. There wasn't a single soul that could be seen in the Great Hall. Not a single one of the ghosts were wandering the enormous room.

Harry went to the Gryffindor table. He noticed that there was already a set of pitchers filled with different kinds of drinks ready. Beside the pitchers were stacks of cups and mugs for a variety of drinks, delicate cups for tea, mugs for milk and coffee, and glasses for juice. Further along the table was a tray of toast and jars of spread.

Harry sat down at the table, poured himself a mug of milk, took a piece of toast, and started to eat.

He was pouring himself a cup of coffee when the doors of the Great Hall opened. Harry looked to see who the newcomer was. He was slightly surprised when he saw Draco Malfoy enter the hall.

The blonde boy went towards the Hufflepuff table before he noticed that someone was watching him and turned to look at Harry. They stared at each other for a few moments, before Draco broke the silence. "Well, what are you staring at?" he snapped.

Harry blinked, he quickly broke eye contact with Draco. "Sorry, I was just surprised that you would be up this early. Look, the sky's still dark," he said, pointing up to the still black ceiling.

Draco looked at him for a few moments, as if internally debating on whether to answer the question or not. He finally decided to answer. "Yes, I find that waking up before my family does will give me free reign over the mansion for a few hours. It's because of that that I know the Malfoy Manor better than anyone else in my family," Draco replied, before making his way again to the Hufflepuff table.

Feeling that the blonde boy doesn't want to be bothered anymore, Harry left it at that and resumed his eating.

A few minutes passed, and Harry got up to explore the castle. By sheer coincidence, Draco also stood up. Both students looked at each other, until Harry spoke. "I'm going to explore the castle," he said.

Draco frowned. "So am I." He left the Hufflepuff table and walked toward the doors and stopped just as his hand was on the handle. "Don't follow me," he said, before opening the door. His back had nearly disappeared when Harry called out to him.

"Hey, people were pretty surprised when you got sorted to Hufflepuff last night? How did it go?" he asked politely.

Draco paused for a moment before answering. "I told them that if they don't bother me, I won't bother them," was the reply. He left the Great Hall after that.

Harry was left alone in the Great Hall. He blinked, noticed that he was the only person in the hall, and promptly left after finishing the rest of his meal.

-A hour later-

When Harry returned to the Great Hall, it was already full of activity. Students from all of the houses were chattering happily about their daily lives.

"Did you hear about the new broomstick on sale at Diagon Alley?"

"I'm going to ace my Potions this year!"

"Sure, and Snape will suddenly give house points to Gryffindor."

"Hasta La Vista, Baby."

Harry made his way to Ron, who was seated next to Hermione. Ron waved when he saw Harry. "Harry, over here mate!" he called.

Harry grinned. He walked over to the two, and sat in front of them. Hermione spoke first. "I wonder who our teachers are going to be?" she thought out loud.

At that moment, Fred and George Weasley wandered over to them. "Did I hear that right Fred? One of the ickle firsties is actually excited about their first day?" Fred mocked.

"You heard it indeed George. I'm not surprised, but they'll be singing a different tune in a few weeks,"George replied.

"True that, my dear brother, true that," came the reply from Fred.

Ron was obviously not pleased with them. "What do you two want?" he asked, angry at being called an 'ickle firstie'.

Fred gave his younger brother a wry smile, before lunging towards Ron. Ron anticipated this, and barely moved out of the way. He was however, caught by Fred's arm, and both of them toppled to the floor. The two began a wrestling match, which attracted everyone's attention. Soon enough there were cheers and taunts coming from all over the hall, with the exception of the Slytherins, who ignored the spectacle.

George decided that he couldn't let the two have all the fun, and became the referee of the match.

Harry was enjoying himself. Ron and Fred's impromptu wrestling match reminded him of the usual brawls that broke out in the Fairy Tail building every now and then. He wondered how everyone was doing, then returned his thoughts back to the match at hand.

"Get off me!" Ron shouted loudly.

"No can do little brother, we need to give you our good luck hug!" Fred said rather loudly as well.

"Indeed, it's always been a Weasley tradition to give the younger sibling a good luck hug at the start of the school year," George said, loud enough so that it could be heard over all the cheering and jeering.

"When did that start?"

"We started it."

"Fred and George Weasley, release your younger brother at once!" a voice shouted from the distance.

Everyone turned to the source and saw Minerva McGonagall walking towards them, a stack of papers in her hands.

Fred and George hastily got up from the floor. "Sorry Professor."

"We were just trying to give Ronnie a good luck hug."

"But he was being stubborn."

"Of course I'd be stubborn! You tried to tackle me to the floor!"

"That is quite enough, Mister Ronald Weasley. I have here your term schedules. First year students kindly get them from me. Second years come to Katie Bell. Third years to Angelina Johnson, Fourth years to Oliver Wood, and fifth years and above go to the prefects," she said.

Everyone got up from their seats and moved to the mentioned students.

Harry, Hermione, and a very irritated Ron took their schedules from McGonagall. She was about to turn around when Harry spoke to her. "Professor, can I ask you a question?"

McGonagall turned around, and locked her eyes with Harry's. The boy gulped nervously. "Yes you may Mister Potter," she said.

Harry nodded. "Well Professor, I noticed that there aren't any kinds of physical education lessons."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "No, there aren't."

"But how do the students stay fit?" Harry asked, anxious yet polite.

"We leave that Mister Potter, at the student's discretion. Though the school doesn't offer any physical education subjects, we do keep some facilities and equipment that may be used by the students who wish to do some exercise."

"Where can we get this equipment, Professor?"

"Madam Hooch, the Flying Lesson Instructor, keeps a variety of wizard and muggle sports equipment in her office. You may get them there. In addition, an area beside the Quidditch field has been reserved for students who wish to do some running. You may ask Hagrid to show you where."

And with that she left the trio to distribute the schedules to other first years.

A bell rang from somewhere in the school a few minutes later, signifying that the first lesson of the day was about to begin.

-Charms classroom-

"Welcome to Charms students. I am Filius Flitwick, the Charms instructor," a very tiny man said from atop a table that was much too tall for him. He had to stand on a low chair in order for his head to see the students. Those students consisted of Gryffindors and Slytherins.

"In this subject, we are going to learn how to put magical properties on objects, as well as learn the different kind of charms used by wizards."

Everyone was taking notes, as was common for excited students on their first day on a new school. Flitwick smiled widely at their enthusiasm. "Now then, just to see if any of you have been practicing over the summer, I would like for each of you to cast the Levitation or Hover Charm in front of the class. I will give you five minutes to practice. Those who can successfully levitate a quill will get ten points for their house. Start now."

The entire classroom was in a frenzy. All of the students either tried to memorize the incantation, or just practice what they have been reading.

At the table that Harry was by, Ron was trying in vain to get his quill to float. Hermione was criticizing him vividly.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he cried, pointing his wand at the quill.

Hermione gave him an exasperated look. "You're pronouncing it wrong Ron, don't say it all on one go, take your time to spell out the incantation."

Ron gave Hermione an annoyed look, but nonetheless tried her advice. He pointed his wand at the quill. "Wing-gar-dium Lev-vio-sa."

Nothing happened, which only caused Ron to become more irritated.

"There! I tried what you said! It didn't work!"

Hermione was seconds away from pulling her hair in frustration. "That was too long! Say the words in just the right speed."

"Well, what speed is that?"

"It's like-", but Hermione was cut off when Harry raised a hand to stop them from bickering.

"Ron, have you tried touching the quill with your wand while saying the incantation?" he asked calmly.

"Well, no... why?"

"I think that if you touch the object with the wand while casting the spell, it would mean that more magic would be put into the spell because it wouldn't be wasted on traveling through the air. That's just what I think though."

Ron looked at Hermione, who was in thinking mode.

"That... actually made sense," she finally said, "Ron, why don't you try what Harry said? And remember, just say it naturally."

Ron nodded, and placed his wand right on top of the quill.

"Wingardium Leviosa."

And the quill immediately rose up. It followed the direction of Ron's wand, who by now had gotten over the shock of finally succeeding and was happily directing the quill around the classroom, sometimes harassing other students.

"Well done Mister Weasley," Professor Flitwick said from behind, causing all three to straighten up and turn. "Ten points to Gryffindor."

He turned to Hermione.

"Miss Granger, if you will. "

Hermione cleared her throat, and cast the spell. The quill rose up and followed Hermione's wand, before she set it down again.

"Wonderful! Ten more points to Gryffindor," Flitwick remarked, clapping his hands together wildly in excitement. He turned to Harry. "And now for you Mister Potter."

Harry nodded. He took out his wand and pointed it at his quill, which started to levitate, before setting it down again. The quill however, stayed in the air, and Harry even began to move it around before he caught it and laid it on the desk.

He turned to the others, only to see Flitwick and Hermione with their eyes wide open. Ron, having already seen him do it once before, was not as impressed.

"What?" Harry asked.

"My word, Mister Potter! In all my years as a teacher I have never seen a student who had mastered the hover charm to such an extent that he or she didn't need the incantation to cast the spell. And I have never seen anyone control a levitating object without using their wand. How did you do it Mister Potter?" Flitwick said with amazement, his voice having an obvious hint of extreme interest in it.

"It was something of an experiment during summer really," Harry lied smoothly. It was true that he had used the spell to levitate objects, because if he used his special magic the object that he levitated would be covered in a green glow. But that was only part of the truth. After he cast the spell, Harry used his magic to keep the items afloat, the spell's magic helped to mask Harry's own magic to prevent the objects from glowing.

"I saw him do it on the train," Ron quipped. "He said that after he cast the spell, he concentrated on it to make sure the books he was levitating didn't fall to the ground."

"That's pretty much it Professor," Harry agreed.

"I see, well then Mister Potter! Twenty points to Gryffindor," Flitwick said.

The bell rang, and after Flitwick told them that they would continue the next meeting, the class was dismissed.

-Transfiguration classroom-

Minerva McGonagall stood in from of the classroom, her eyes scanning for any signs of movement. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs sat very quietly in their desks.

"Transfiguration is the branch of magic which deals with the transformation of substances from one form to another. In this lesson you will learn the basics of this difficult art."

With that she turned her desk into a sofa and back again.

The students were impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but they soon found out that they wouldn't be doing that sort of high level transfiguration for a long time.

After taking down a lot of notes, most of which talked about the history and famous figures in transfiguration, the students were each given a matchstick and were told to transfigure it into a needle.

-A few minutes later-

"Alright, time's up, all of you put your wands in the desk. I shall examine your work," McGonagall said.

She started to walk from desk to desk, closely studying each of the student's matchsticks, and trying to see if any progress had been made.

Most of the students failed to even remove the phosphorus from the match. Of the few students who did make any progress, Harry managed to turn his match into a pin, and was one eye away from making it into a needle, Ron had actually made a needle, but it was a wooden one. Draco's was metal and had an eye, but has blunt. Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff student, created a metal matchstick. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, both Gryffindors, had made a combination of a metal body with the eye of the needle, but with the phosphorus still on top.

Only Hermione had managed to turn her matchstick into a full needle, and earned a rare smile from McGonagall.

"For those of you who failed to make any progress today, or simply wish to turn their matches into a complete needle, I would suggest practicing tonight. That is all. Dismissed."

The bell rang, and the students left the classroom, the Hufflepuffs going to the castle grounds for Care of Magical Creatures, the Gryffindors to the dungeons for Potions.

-Hogwarts dungeons-

The air in the dungeons was cold, and gave the students an ominous feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

And then the doors of the dungeon closed.

Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Footsteps rang throughout the dungeon where they eventually stopped when the owner of those footsteps reached the teacher's table.

A man sporting black robes and greasy hair stood in front of them.

"Welcome to Potions, the art of mixing substances to create different effects. In this class I shall teach you to brew and create basic types of potions that are normally done in first years. It would do wise to listen to me, those who do will find that their path to greatness be made easier, while those who don't are often left in the ditch, forever wishing that they could turn things around. I am Severus Snape, the Potions instructor," Snape said in a piercing and scratchy voice.

The entire class only nodded to show that they were listening. Snape seemed satisfied with this, and proceeded pull out a piece of parchment from underneath the table.

"When I call your name, raise your hand," he drawled, and started calling for each of the student's names.

-A few minutes later-

"Potter, Harry."

Harry raised his hand, and Snape paused to look at him.

"Ah, Mister Potter, our resident celebrity. Tell me Mister Potter, what do I get when I mix wormwood and asphodel?"

Hermione's hand shot up, but Harry, having read the book, knew the answer.

"You get a part of the ingredients for the sleeping potion called Draught of Living Death."

Snape blinked in stern surprise. He hadn't expected Harry to have read his books.

"Where can I find bezoar then, Mister Potter?"

Hermione, who kept her hand up, started waving, but Harry knew the answer to that one.

"In the stomach of a goat, sir."

"And what is the difference between monkswood and wolfsbane?"

"Nothing sir, they are the same plant."

Snape nodded slowly. "Well Mister Potter, I am glad that you have taken the time to read your books, I just hope you would remember what you have read until the end of the year. Miss Granger put your hand down."

Hermione's hand fell down to her side, and Snape resumed the roll call.

-Later, History of Magic Class-

The students patiently waited for the teacher to arrive. All of them, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, were all seated at their desks, parchment and quills, or in Harry's case, a fountain pen, at the ready.

And suddenly a ghost appeared through the blackboard. Many of the students jumped and fell on the floor. The ghost didn't notice this, and simply put down his notes on the desk.

"Good morning students, I am Professor Binns, the History of Magic instructor. In this lesson we will learn the rich history of wizarding Britain, and try to learn from the mistakes of the past," the ghost droned, after the students picked themselves up and returned to their seats..

When they heard this, everyone was eager to listen to Professor Binns.

The ghost picked up a piece of paper. "Alright, let us begin. They believed that magic began to be used by people during the ancient times..."

-A few minutes later-

By the end of the class, the majority of the class can barely stay awake. Harry had ended up making a list of recipes, occasionally writing down a word or two whenever something Binns said caught his ear. Ron was daydreaming. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan was talking to Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, both Gryffindor students, with Padma Patil, Parvati's twin who was sorted to Ravenclaw, listened on. Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot, Ravenclaw students, played tic-tac-toe on a corner of the parchment.

Only Hermione was still fully listening to Binns, her hand moving the quill through the parchment frantically.

The bell rang, and Binns dismissed the class, to the enormous relief of everyone.

-A few hours later-

After having lunch in the Great Hall, the Gryffindor students gathered in the greenhouses for Herbology with the Hufflepuffs.

The instructor, Pomona Sprout, was a plump woman with her hands covered in perpetual dirt.

"Good afternoon and welcome to Herbology. This subject will tackle the caring and raising of magical plants. We will also learn the different classifications of magical plants. I am Pomona Sprout, your instructor for this subject," she said.

The students all nodded. They were all standing inside the first greenhouse, where the easier plants to raise were being kept. In front of them was what looked like a shrub with wide leaves that seemed to be formed in the shape of an umbrella.

Sprout took a deep breath. "Hah, alright. Today we are going to be studying this peculiar little plant. It is called the Umbrella Leaf, and has the uncanny trait of being able to expand to huge sizes when triggered. Wizards sometimes use this as a natural shade, perfect for gardens."

She stroked the trunk of a plant, and it suddenly shot up. The trunk grew ten feet, and the leaves enlarged to occupy the half of the ceiling of the greenhouse.

"It will stay like this for a good twenty minutes, before returning back to its original size. If you see it starting to recede, stroke it again so it will stay like this," she said to awed students.

The rest of the lesson was spent on discussing the habitat and origin of the plant.

The bell rang, and the students left for their next lesson.

Draco was on the door of the greenhouse when Professor Sprout called him.

"Mister Malfoy, kindly go to my office after class," she said.

Draco gulped. What had he done wrong so early in the term that he needed to be called to his head of house's office?

He looked outside, and noticed that every single one of the Hufflepuff first years was waiting for him.

Justin Finch-Fletchley waved at him. "We'll wait for you!"

Draco frowned, he looked back to Professor Sprout and gave her a worried look.

Sprout noticed his expression, and gave him a reassuring smile.

"You haven't done anything wrong Mister Malfoy, I just needed to talk to you about something Solus Malfoy left behind," she said.

This piqued Draco's attention. "What is it that he left behind Professor?"

"You'll see later. Now go or you and the others will be late for your next class. I must say Mister Malfoy, this batch of Hufflepuffs are the most loyal to each other that I've seen yet, it would do well to befriend them," she said.

Draco nodded, and quickly joined with the other Hufflepuffs. Ernie was the first to approach him.

"What was that about?" he asked, and hoped that this time the Malfoy would actually talk to them instead of brood in a corner.

To his relief, Malfoy replied, after a few seconds of debating whether or not to.

"She wanted to talk to me about something my ancestor left behind."

This caught everyone's attention.

"Something you ancestor left behind?"

"But why would your ancestor leave something with a Hufflepuff? Isn't everyone in your family but you sorted to Slytherin?"

Draco did not answer immediately, used to being alone all the time.

"That's not true. The Sorting Hat tole me that the first Malfoy to step foot in Hogwarts, Solus Malfoy, was sorted to Hufflepuff."

The news was a shocker to everybody.

"Really?"

"I've head of Solus Malfoy, he was the reason the Malfoy family became famous in the wizard community, who would've thought he'd be sorted to Hufflepuff?"

"Woah! Does that mean you're going to do something great Draco?"

Draco snorted. "Yeah right. My family will probably look down on me once they hear I've sorted to Hufflepuff. Which reminds me, can you keep quiet about what you heard about my ancestor?"

He received nods from all of them.

"We'll take that secret to our graves if we have to mate."

"Nothing's coming out of my lips."

"My cat's been sewed to the bag."

"Thank you," said Draco, and retreated to the back of the group.

-Hogwarts grounds-

Silvanus Kettleburn was a muscular and tanned man, who had an arm missing. He was standing by the Hogwarts Lake, surrounded by Gryffindor and Slytherin first years.

"Good afternoon. My name is Silvanus Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures instructor. As the name implies, we will be studying the characteristics and habitat of different magical creatures."

He whistled, and looked towards Hagrid's hut.

"My assistant, Rubeus Hagrid, will be bringing for us a crate of eggs. Each of you will be given an egg, and I will ask you to tell me what kind of creature it is. Do not worry if you don't know, this is merely a test of your observational skills," he said just as Hagrid arrived with the eggs.

The student looked at the crate, and saw eggs of varying sizes. There were tiny eggs that can easily be swallowed whole, eggs the size of chicken eggs, and even eggs that was the size of their heads.

"Now go ahead and pick one, I will give you five minutes to examine them and tell me what kind of creature it is. Those who gets it correct will receive ten points for their house," said Kettleburn.

Everyone took an egg, and left to inspect it.

The students turned their eggs around and aroud, looking for any signs that may help help identify what kind of thing was inside. By the end of five minutes, very few had actually any idea what kind of creature was inside the egg.

"Time's up. All of you form a line an face sideways, Hagrid and I will be asking you one by one what do you think is inside the egg," said Kettleburn.

They did as he ordered, and Hagrid and Kettleburn started asking students about the egg.

"A'righ' Miss Parkinson, what do ye think it is?" asked Hagrid to a Slytherin first year, Pansy Parkinson.

Pansy held her nose. "Eww, you stink," she said, holding her small egg close to her chest.

Hagrid seemed to have taken no offense. "O'course I stink, tha's what ye get when ye had to scoop up dragon manure ter give ter Professor Sprout."

Pansy backed away from him. "That's disgusting."

"I wasn't askin' if it's horrible, I'm askin' ye iwhat do ye think that egg of yours it?"

Pansy glared at him. She gave her egg another look. "Um, it's an owl."

To her surprise Hagrid gave her a huge grin and exclaimed. "Ten points to Slytherin!"

Pansy couldn't believe it. She actually got that right!

She was laughing her head off when Hagrid left her.

Over at Kettleburn's side, he was asking Harry about the egg, which was enormous and granite colored.

"Can you tell me what creature is this Mister Potter?"

"Is it a dragon sir?"

The students froze. They all looked at Harry, who was giving them a calm face.

"What?" asked the bespectacled boy. Having faced griffins and giant karate mushrooms before, a baby dragon was something Harry considers a minor threat.

Kettleburn noticed the student's horrified expressions, and hastily gave an explanation.

"The eggs are fake, don't worry."

Most of the students breathed a sight of relief, though some were still skeptical.

Kettleburn seemed satisfied with this, and returned to Harry.

"That was correct, ten points to Gryffindor. How did you know it was a dragon?" he asked

"It's a big egg, so I took a guess," shrugged Harry.

Kettleburn nodded at him. "Guessing can only take you so far Mister Potter, make sure you familiarize yourself with what dragon eggs look like in the future."

"Yes sir."

Kettleburn turned to Ron.

"And what is that egg supposed to be holding Mister Weasley?"

"A phoenix?" said Ron, who was holding a red egg larger than that of a chicken but smaller that a dragon's

Kettleburn shook his head.

"No, but take one point to Gryffindor because your answer is very close. This egg belongs to of a firebird, a relative of the phoenix. Firebirds are larger than phonixes and burn with such intensity that they inadvertently incinerate themselves. A phoenix, on the other hand, only burn when they are going to die. Please remember what I said."

Ron nodded, and Kettleburn turned to Hermione. Hermione held what looked like a chicken egg.

"Miss Granger, what do you think the egg will hatch into?"

"A basilisk sir," said Hermione.

People froze again, before they remembered that the eggs were fake, and sighed with relief.

Kettleburn raised an eyebrow. "Really, and what makes you so certain that this is a basilisk?"

"It looks like a chicken egg, but it's really heavy. I've read that basilisks are born from chicken eggs sat on by a toad, so I figured that it might be a basilisk," replied Hermione.

Kettleburn smiled. "You are correct Miss Granger, ten points to Gryffindor."

The bell rang, signifying the end of classes for that day, and the students returned to the castle to rest.

**Author's note:** Nothing much to say really. I hope you like this chapter. As you can pretty much guess, Harry is a master of levitation, because that's his magical affinity. If you're thinking if other students are going to have special magic, then just keep reading. I'll try and post the next chapter when I can, but no promises.

The HTM edited version will be posted after a few days.

Please read and review!

**Editor's note:** And the incompetence of my creativity precedes me! And then I gasp, because Malfoy is in Hufflepuff... HUFFLEPUFF! Who would've thought that? I certainly didn't, but then again, seeing as in the books he's such an ignorant bastard, maybe being in Hufflepuff wouldn't be so bad after all. But the name, oh god, the name! What are they, yiffers? I mean absolutely no offense to actual furries or whatever, but still, you have to admit that their name is horrid!

*DELETE THIS* Also, I might add that Care of Magical Creatures lessons start at Third Year, so... yeah.

**Author's Note 2**: I reedited the work and included Care of Magical Creatures again. My reason is that the school would give the students a glimpse of the different elective subjects in the first week of class to allow them to see where they truly want to go.

This is the HTM edited version of the story, I hope you like it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own this story**

**Chapter 6**

-Pomona Sprout's office, end of the day-

"I'm here Professor?" said Malfoy as he entered the office.

Sprout looked up from her desk.

"Ah, Mister Malfoy, come in!"

She stood up and beckoned the first year inside.

"Come, sit. Would you like some tea? I have here some green tea from China," she asked and handed Malfoy a cup, a saucer, and a teabag.

"No thank you," replied Malfoy.

Sprout smiled but didn't reply. Instead she went to the bookcase behind her desk and pulled out a book. The book was small, around the size of a regular notebook, and looked liked it held at least one hundred pages of high quality paper. The cover of the book was leather, and completely blank. Though it was covered in dust, it looked like it passed the test of time with flying colors.

Sprout gave the book to Malfoy. "Nearly a thousand years ago, Solus Malfoy wrote a journal, and gave it to Helga Hufflepuff, with the instruction that it be given to the next Malfoy who will be sorted to this house, I think you know who that Malfoy is," she said.

Malfoy took the book, but then dropped it immediately when he felt a sharp pain in his finger.

"What? How—"he started, only for Sprout to cut him off.

"Whenever someone touches that book, it takes a sample of the holder's blood. This is a very advanced magical artifact Mister Malfoy, the book will change what it displays depending on who is holding it. Only you can see the full contents of this book," she said.

Malfoy nodded, and picked up the book, relieved that it did not cut him a second time. He opened it on the first page, and his jaw dropped.

Letters were materializing on the paper almost as if someone was writing it. The page read:

_To my heir,_

_ If you can read this, I would assume that you are a Malfoy and have been sorted to Hufflepuff. This journal contains everything that I have done in my life, as well as tips and recommendations for running a business, getting a girl/boy, and a lot of life's other questions (Based on personal experience of course)._

_ I ask you not to show this to any other Malfoy that had been sorted to Slytherin. All the other houses are fair game. The ideals that are contained in this book are far too radical to be considered normal full-wizard behavior. If I am right, then the Malfoys of your generation would be arrogant purists who want those wizards who were born from non-magical parents either eradicated or exiled. I hope I'm not. My success, intended to foster closer relationships between wizards and non-wizards, have instead made my family even prouder of themselves than before._

_ In any case, I wish that you may enjoy reading this journal, and hopefully it would change your view of the world around you._

_ Remember young Malfoy, the wizarding community is not the entire world._

_-Solus Malfoy_

_P.S. I left some blank pages on the end of this book, fill it up when you're finished and give it back to the Hufflepuff Head of House for the next Malfoy to use._

Malfoy closed the book. His ancestor had been completely right about the current state of the family. His father was one of the most powerful men in the British wizarding community, and was not exactly silent about it. His family was also one of the most vocal advocates of pureblood superiority in the wizarding world.

Sprout looked at her young student. On the outside Malfoy appeared calm and collected, but she knew that the boy was having a serious mental debate raging in his mind.

She decided that rest would be best for him. "Well then Mister Malfoy, if you haven't got anymore affairs planned tonight, I suggest you take a nice long sleep. Goodness knows how many piles of homework your other teachers are going to assign to you later this year."

Malfoy looked up at her. He was completely torn between continuing to believe in his father, whose ideologies he was raised in, and having his outlook in life changed by his ancestor's book.

He shook his head to clear excessive thoughts. "No, I haven't got anything planned tonight. Good evening professor."

He put the book in his bag and left, closing the door behind him.

Sprout looked at the door closing, before letting out a soft smile.

"Already his behavior is changing, perhaps there is hope for this boy after all," she said, before making herself a cup of tea.

-Hufflepuff common room-

The moment Malfoy entered the common room; he was cornered by his fellow first years, all eager to know what happened in Sprout's office.

"So Draco, what was the thing that your great-great-grandfather left behind?"

"Is it a sword?"

"Ooh! Maybe it's a super wand!"

"Don't be silly, it has to be a pile of gold, isn't it Draco?"

They were closing in on him, so much so that Draco was left with very little room to breathe.

"You people are suffocating me!"

Everybody gave him some room to catch his breath. When Malfoy had recovered, they stared at him expectantly.

Not even Draco Malfoy can avoid the stares that are being directed at him. Realizing he had no choice, he sighed.

"It's a book."

Instead of silencing his critics however, it made them even more curious.

"A book? What does it contain?"

"Maybe it has some awesome spells!"

"It's probably a journal of his ancestor's life."

"Don't be stupid, it obviously contains great power, maybe you can summon something with it."

"The cake is a lie."

Tired of the questions, Draco moved them out of the way. "I don't have time for this, I'm going to bed."

And he went straight for the dormitories. No one tried to stop him.

-A few minutes later-

As the Hufflepuff male first years went up for bed, they noticed that Draco made good on his promise, and went to bed early.

They also noticed a piece of paper on the small table beside his bed. It read:

_To Whom It May Concern,_

_ To answer your questions, the book is a journal that Solus Malfoy left behind. It contains an account of my ancestor's life as well as tips for living._

_ Don't try to pick up the book, it cuts your finger and everything written in it will vanish if anyone but a Malfoy sorted to Hufflepuff holds it._

_-Draco Malfoy_

Justin, Ernie and the others looked at each other, before a smile crept up their faces.

Looks like Malfoy wasn't a complete jerk after all.

-Great Hall, early the next morning-

Harry again arrived at the hall earlier than everyone else. He sat down on the Gryffindor table and pulled out a book about magical healing methods (Introduction to Healing Magic by H. Lecter) he found in the library. He figured that since he was not doing anything time-consuming yet, he might as well research on magical methods of healing, which is very rare in Earth-land. If he can find a fast and efficient method of healing, it would save Fairy Tail a significant amount of money in hospital bills.

He was on his second piece of toast when Draco Malfoy entered the hall. Harry looked at the newcomer, who looked back, before the both of them returned to what they were doing, Harry reading the book, Malfoy moving over to the Hufflepuff table.

Throughout the time they were in the Hall, neither spoke to the other, having nothing in common to talk about, and both left the Hall after a few minutes to continue exploring the castle.

-Later, breakfast time-

Harry was again sitting beside Ron and Hermione, whom were bickering once more.

"I told you to stop following me!"

"Why don't you want me to come with you?"

"It's weird being seen with a girl."

"But Harry's not complaining."

"He just doesn't want to let you know, right Harry?"

"Don't drag me into your argument."

"Right!"

At that very moment, Fred and George came to their table, faces beaming, a joke or two threatening to slip from their lips.

And it did.

"Look Fred, Ronniekins is arguing with a girl!"

Ron's ears went red.

"Indeed George, is this the beginning of true love?"

Hermione's ears also went red.

"I can't say for certain Fred, but it looks like it."

Ron and Hermione were now both crimson in the cheeks.

"Stop it!" shouted Hermione.

"You two!" exclaimed Ron.

The twins' eyes widened, and both let out a gasp.

"Oh my gosh George, they're completing each other's sentences!"

"They're not just boyfriend and girlfriend Fred; they're madly in love with each other!"

"Quick George, we must plan the wedding! I'll arrange for the venue, you talk with caterers! Nothing must go wrong when our little brother ties the knot!"

"I said stop it!" said Ron and Hermione, both of whom were on the verge of exploding and crying, respectively.

Harry, amused as he was, decided that this time the two were taking it a little too far, and uttered an Earth-land spell under his breath.

"Emotion Magic: Mood Swing," he said quietly. The spell lowered the twins' mischievous attitudes, while increasing the relief and happiness of Ron and Hermione.

Fred and George stopped teasing the other two and decided to talk to Harry.

"Well Harry, try not to get in the way of these two lovers, they may not like it."

"Indeed Mister Potter, you can always come to us if they request to be left alone."

"Don't listen to them Harry!" shouted both Ron and Hermione. Fred and George ignored it.

"I'll remember what you said," replied Harry to the horror of the other two.

"Well Fred, it seems our work here is done." said Fred.

"Nicely said George, we will go make our exits now ladies and gentlemen."

They left with a bow and a twirl, and headed for Lee Jordan.

"I can't believe you would side with them Harry!" said Ron, fuming.

"You can't possibly be thinking that we're in love, are you Harry?" asked Hermione, her face anxious.

Harry brought his hands in surrender. "Guys, chill out, I wasn't serious. I don't believe you two are in love, you just look like it."

"Thanks Harr…hey!" said Hermione. Ron simply sat confused.

Hermione shook her head, muttering about boys and machismo.

Their earlier conversation of Hermione being a girl was completely forgotten.

-Defense Against the Dark arts classroom-

"G-good morning s-students, my n-name is Quirinus Quirrell, the D-Defense Against t-the arts Professor. In t-this subject we w-will learn h-how to d-defend ourselves f-from the d-dark arts."

At this point, most of the students stopped listening. Not only was their Professor hard to understand because of his stuttering, said stuttering also made them skeptical about him actually knowing anything related to the subject.

Of the few who were still paying attention, Harry was only listening out of curiosity, Hermione because of old habits and her diligence at school, and Draco because of pride. Ron was staring out the window; his head perched onto his hand. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were playing thumb-wrestling underneath the desk. Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott were whispering about something. Everyone else was dozing off.

As Quirrell ranted on about his supposed experiences during his absence at the school—it turned out he was once a Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts before he took a study leave—the bell rang without much incident and the students left for their next class.

-Astronomy classroom-

"You must be wondering why you are learning Astronomy in the daytime," said Aurora Sinistra, Professor of Astronomy. She was a dark-skinned woman who was one of the most respected teachers at the school, having been the teacher of Astronomy for many years.

The students were seated in a simple classroom right next to the Astronomy Tower, where the actual classes were being held at night.

Today Professor Sinistra was simply giving the class a basic orientation about the subject.

"It's simple, you're still too young to stay up late at night. In addition, the sun is also a heavenly body and a star, so we will be tackling that in your third year. By the way, did you know that the sun has been emitting less and less light? The trend started during 10 A.D., and since then our star has been getting weaker. Even the muggles have discovered this. I can offer no explanation to why this is happening."

She waited for the students to answer, but left the subject hanging. She didn't notice that a student of hers was deep in thought, as if trying to remember an important past event that would give a solution to their problems.

She continued her lesson. "The stars have been the subject of interest for muggles and wizards for thousands of years. In this lesson, we will delve into that study with a more practical approach: those which do not involve predicting the future using heavenly bodies. Your Divination subject should cover that part."

She picked up a telescope lying on her table.

She held it up for the students to see. "The telescope is the most important too for any astronomer. Without it, you cannot view the stars closely enough to make any observations. The one in my hand is the traditional telescope that wizard astronomers use. It doesn't have a lot of magnifying power by itself, so it uses magic to make things look bigger than they truly are," she said, and put down the telescope.

"Muggles, on the other hand," she continued, "have no choice but to make their telescopes bigger and heavier in order to see more. I've heard of tales of ten meter wide telescopes being erected on top of mountains. Whether or not the rumors are true, I don't know, but I think it's safe to say that a telescope that big being enhanced by magic can see farther that any muggle or wizard telescope ever created," she said, her eyes twinkling at the thought of owning such a device.

The Gryffindor students noticed this, and made a pact to make their professor's dream come true.

The bell rang, and the Gryffindor students left the Astronomy classroom for the Divination one, and the Slytherin students for Arithmancy.

Harry gave up trying to remember what he had forgotten, and joined the Gryffindor students on the way to North Tower.

-Later, dinner time-

"I don't know about you, but I am not taking Divination on our third year!" huffed Hermione as she bit off a large piece of chicken, with parts of the thigh still hanging over her mouth.

Earlier, Hermione had antagonized the Divination teacher, Sybill Trelawney, by claiming she was a fraud and storming out the classroom. The class wasn't as noisy after that incident.

Ron and Harry exchanged glances. Hermione's sour mood hadn't improved over the day, and the two were certain they're going to be dragged into her business one way or another. "Nobody's trying to stop you Hermione," said Ron.

Wrong answer.

Instead of making Hermione feel better, it only made her angrier.

She swallowed her chicken. "Oh, and I suppose you see her as being legitimate, do you?" she snapped.

Ron winced at her outburst, but kept his composure.

"Not really, but it's still not enough reason to shout at her like that, you could've, I don't know, kept it to yourself until the end of class," replied Ron.

Hermione glared at him, but said nothing. Even she knew that what she did was wrong, and she will regret her actions later on.

She sighed, and drank a cup of juice. "I guess you're right, I'll have to apologize to Professor Trelawney when I see her again," she said.

This caused Ron to smile, which was returned by Hermione.

They never noticed Harry drafting recipes of custom-made wedding cakes and heart cookies, and then hastily stuffing them in his bag before the other two sensed something was going on.

-A few weeks later, Quidditch field-

Ron had dragged Harry onto the Quidditch field to watch the Gryffindor team tryouts. Hermione tagged along, curious about the game.

Some of the players were passing a large red ball through a set of three of gigantic loops; one of the players was trying to block the ball from going through. Two other players, Fred and George, were using a small bat to whack a black ball back and forth between them.

The trio watched with varying states of interest. Ron looked on excitedly, Harry curiously, and Hermione methodically.

Fred had just batted away the black ball, called a Bludger, right back to George when suddenly it swerved hard to the right, directly where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting.

Fred, George, and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team can only watch in horror as the three first years gave a cry of surprise and moved out of the way.

The Bludger hit the stands with a thunderous crash, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing next to the newly made hole. Ron and Hermione were staring wide-eyed at the hole, shell-shocked, and breathing heavily. Harry, while no less surprised himself, looked like this sort of thing happened to him all the time.

They had slightly recovered from their surprise when the Bludger ripped through the stands again, and this time aimed itself straight for Ron. The boy can do nothing but quickly raise his arms over his head and brace for impact and hope that nothing vital is going to be hit, and waited.

And waited.

After five seconds of nothing, Ron mustered enough courage to open an eye.

He blinked.

Harry was wrestling the Bludger to the seats, and was losing the match with the thing until Fred and George rushed over to help him. It took the three an entire five minutes to hold the ball long enough to it to be placed back into the ball container.

With the rogue ball finally under control, the captain of the team, Oliver Wood, ambled over to them.

"I want to apologize to you three about that. We've never seen a Bludger attack a bystander before," he said, sincerity evident in his voice.

"It's alright, we're just glad no one was hurt," said Harry as he dusted himself.

Wood nodded to him. "I must say Mister Potter, you and Mister Weasley showed some pretty good reflexes back there. If you want, I could ask Professor McGonagall if you two can be made part of the team."

"Really? Is that true? Hell yeah!" shouted Ron, his mind already dreaming of possible future outcomes. Harry opted for a simple 'thank you'.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's reaction. "First years aren't allowed to play Quidditch Ron," she said.

"Don't be such a killjoy Hermione, let Harry and me enjoy this moment," replied Ron.

Wood laughed good-naturedly at the two's antics and was about to speak when Dumbledore appeared before them. Behind him is a red-headed girl whom none of them has seen before…none of them but Harry that is.

The moment the girl appeared in the bespectacled boy's view, his eyes widened and he immediately ran towards her.

The girl, for her part, ran towards Harry. Dumbledore was left forgotten.

"Harry!"

"Erza!"

The girl collided with Harry with a bone-crushing hug, which Harry returned until the girl turned the friendly embrace into a bear-hug.

Several tense moments passed before Harry mustered enough strength to choke out a plea for Erza to stop. His face was already turning blue.

"Erza…can't…breathe…"

Erza let go of Harry, who dropped to the ground clutching his neck.

"Sorry Harry," said Erza.

Harry smiled and waved her off. He stood up after a few seconds, and looked at his friend.

"It's good to see you again, but how did you get here?" asked Harry.

"There was a brawl in the house, and I was pushed into the Portkey that was supposed to deliver your mail. By the way, here are letters from the people back home," said Erza, and showed Harry stack of letters, neatly arranged and tied with a thin cord.

When he saw the sheer number of letters that the other guild members wrote to him, Harry eye's started to water. He wiped them off quickly before anyone noticed.

It took a few seconds before he realized that someone was tapping his shoulder, and Harry looked behind to see Ron staring at him.

"How about an introduction mate?" he asked. Behind Ron, Hermione made a gesture of agreement.

"Oh, guys, this is Erza Scarlet, a friend of mine back home. Erza, this is Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, we met on the way to the castle, and we've been friends ever since."

The other three said their hellos. Hermione spoke up.

"You're supposed to be our age right? How come you're not in school?" she asked.

Harry was about to reply when Erza cut him. "I am home-schooled. My father's too overprotective to send me to Hogwarts."

"Ah."

Meanwhile, Wood was talking to Dumbledore. He was trying to persuade the Headmaster to allow Harry and Ron to enter the Quidditch team.

"I am sorry Oliver, but rules are rules, we cannot allow first years to play in an official Quidditch match, no matter how talented they may be," said Dumbledore.

The look of disappointment was evident on Wood's face; he hung his head down, and did not see the smile etched on the Headmaster's lips.

"However, there is nothing in the rule book that prevents them from entering as supporting members of the team."

Wood looked up. "What do you mean Professor?"

The smile on Dumbledore's face grew. "What I mean is, they will not be playing Quidditch in an official game themselves, but they can serve as extra players in practice. They can also help in restoration and clean-up if need be. And I believe Miss Granger would be an excellent team manager."

Wood thought about it. Though Harry and Ron can't be on the official team, them playing in practice would be good training for next year, and would allow the rest of the team to keep practicing in case one of the actual members is sick or in detention. Hermione being a team manager would mean they would have an easier time booking the field for practice, as well as gathering equipment from Madam Hooch. Plus extra hands in cleaning were always appreciated.

He smiled, and looked at the three first years and Harry's friend. Dumbledore noticed Wood's intention, and placed a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Wood, if I may, can you tell them your decision later? I think those four would like to spend some time alone. Tryouts are over," said Dumbledore.

Wood nodded, he called the other players, and they walked back to the castle.

Dumbledore walked with the Gryffindor Quidditch team, though he gave a glance back at Harry and Erza. How he would love to pry into their minds and find out what had happened during the years Harry was absent from Fairy Tail, but he knows it was not a viable option. Harry's expertise lies in mental magic; he would immediately discover what Dumbledore was trying to do, should the old man ever attempt Legilimency—the art of looking into the minds of others—and that would lead to difficulties later on. The girl was a different matter. Dumbledore is aware that she was very proficient in the use of Requip magic, but with Harry being her best friend, he had a feeling that he would have taught her some mind magic. Plus having only one eye means Legilimency would only work at half-power on her.

No, if he wanted to know what happened, it would be by asking politely.

He gave a sigh, and returned to the castle. There were more important things to do other than find out what was in the past.

-Lunch time, Great Hall-

Harry was showing Erza around the castle, and he and Hermione provided running commentary on the history of the castle as well as its inhabitants. Ron butted in whenever something from the society of the wizarding world was brought up.

"I have to say Harry, this is one large castle," said Erza.

"You have no idea," replied Harry. After four weeks of exploring the castle early in the mornings, and occasionally bumping into Draco Malfoy, and still he hasn't figured out the entirety of Hogwarts.

"You should have seen him Erza, Harry casted a Levitation spell on a feather, put his wand away, and somehow the feather was still floating! Even Professor Flitwick hasn't done that before," said Ron.

Erza chuckled. "Well, Harry's always had a knack for experimenting. You should see him in the kitchen; he turns everyday dishes into feasts."

"I know, he told me. He doesn't cook here though, but whenever we eat and the kitchen cooks something new, you better believe Harry's itching to taste it, list its ingredients, and find out how it was cooked," replied Ron, who turned his back to look at Harry.

Said boy was now way back in the group, right behind Hermione, his face a deep shade of crimson.

This made Erza laugh some more. "No surprise there. Harry, when you get back home, make sure that you cook some of the new dishes you tasted."

It wasn't a request, it was an order, and Harry can do nothing but nod softly.

They entered the Great Hall, and saw Dumbledore waiting for them at the behind the door.

"It is time to go Miss Scarlet, the Portkey will return to your home in half an hour. If you would like to come with her Harry, follow us. Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, if I may ask, would it be possible that you would not follow, Miss Scarlet's father is insistent on keeping their location a secret to as many people as possible?"

Hermione and Ron nodded, and they left Harry and Erza to have dinner. The other two followed Dumbledore to his office.

They arrived a few minutes later. The Portkey was lying on a table on the far side of the office.

It was then that Harry noticed something peculiar. Erza was not wearing her armor.

"Hey Erza, you're not wearing your armor," he said.

The girl shrugged. "Mister Dumbledore asked me to take it off while I'm in here. He said it would draw unnecessary attention."

"Ah. By the way, how's the guild?" asked Harry.

Erza put her head on a chin. "Well, Natsu took a leave of absence to visit his family, Gray still removes his clothing unknowingly, Mirajane and I are still fighting, Macao is on a mission somewhere, Master's gone to a Guild Master's meeting, Cana is still drinking, pretty much the same as you left."

Harry gave a smile, which was returned by Erza.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"It is nearly time Miss Scarlet, I have already sent word to your Master that you arrived here in one piece, so you needn't worry about them panicking and trying to save you."

Erza grabbed the cauldron, and looked back at Harry.

"Come back next month, alright?" said Harry.

"Of course," replied Erza, before equipping her armor once again.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I never knew you could now equip armors directly."

Erza smirked. "I'm not the only one still learning you know?"

And with that, the Portkey activates, and Erza was once again whisked back to Earth-land.

They watched the Portkey disappear, and then Dumbledore turned to Harry.

"I had planned that none of the other guild members appear here."

"How come Professor?" asked Harry.

"Mysterious people walking around the castle would arouse suspicion that we are hiding something. It would be very troublesome if many more people would know of Earth-land."

Harry nodded. Dumbledore noticed Harry's good mood, and seized his chance to ask about his past.

"Harry, you never did tell me about what had happened before you came to Fairy Tail."

Harry snapped towards Dumbledore, and let the words sink in. He looked at the old man, and grit his teeth.

"I'd…prefer not to talk about it. I can only say that it was…terrible."

Dumbledore didn't seem surprised by this, and simply nodded.

"I understand. I would only ask for the basic details, but only if you want to."

Harry gave him a solemn nod. His expression became thoughtful, and remained that way for a few seconds. Dumbledore had returned to his seat, and was about to ask the boy to eat dinner when Harry spoke.

"The Tower of Heaven," he said.

Dumbledore blinked.

"What?"

"The Tower of Heaven Professor, if you want to know what happened to me, research about the Tower of Heaven," Harry said coldly.

He then turned to leave. Dumbledore rested his chin on his hands. He closed his eyes and prepared to enter into thinking mode. He was already reminiscing about the tattered clothes that Harry and Erza wore when they first entered Fairy Tail when the door opened and Harry poked his head in.

"Yes Harry?" asked Dumbledore, slightly annoyed that his brooding was interrupted.

Harry gave him a sheepish grin. "Well Professor, you never did tell me how you came to know of Earth-land."

Dumbledore, surprised by this, can only smile as he recollected his memories. His eyes curved happily, albeit with a hint of disgust.

"Oh, that happened during the night that Tom Riddle was defeated. I was leaving the party at the Leaky Cauldron and stepped into the fireplace to use the Floo. I did not know what had happened, but instead of me returning to my office, I ended up in Makarov's fireplace. I later found out Mundungus Fletcher vomited on the Floo powder earlier, I believe that caused the properties of the powder to change, and sent me to Earth-land instead. Your master seemed ready to bash me to death before I told him it was an accident."

He laughed softly at the memories. Harry tried to keep a straight face. The boy quickly said goodnight and left.

Though disturbed from his musings, Dumbledore could not help but smile at Harry's attempt to change the topic. Needless to say, it lifted his mood, and he was now ready to tackle both the ever increasing amount of paperwork that piled on the floor, and on the new information that Harry had given him.

'_Tower of Heaven,'_ he thought. _'I have a feeling that the topic would be taboo back at Earth-land. I would need to make inquiries about this alone.'_

He shook his head. The Tower of Heaven can wait, right now paperwork waits.

-Gryffindor common room-

Harry had returned from dinner. He still cannot believe that he had just confessed about the Tower of Heaven to Dumbledore.

He knew this would lead to complications later on, but what other choice does he have? If he told Makarov about the Tower of Heaven, no doubt the entire guild would be involved. If he told the government, trouble would arise.

Now he can only hope that Dumbledore would keep his secret and not reveal it to the people back home.

He entered the door behind the portrait, and was greeted by Ron jumping up and down. Hermione stood beside him, her face showing an expression of irritation. In her hands was a piece of paper filled with what looked like the schedule for a sporting event.

"Harry! Guess what?"

"What?"

"We made the team! We're now part of the Gryffindor Quidditch team! Wood told us about it while you were gone."

"But I thought first years aren't allowed to join?"

"That's only on official games, we can play Quidditch with the team during practice. Oh, and Hermione is now team manager."

Harry looked at Hermione, who nodded.

Harry placed a hand on the back of his neck.

"I can't say I know how I feel about that Ron. I mean, we do have to study."

"Wood assured us we would only practice on Saturdays…well, actually, Hermione made him promise it."

"With good reason," replied Hermione, shaking her head, the paper in her hand seemed to wobble along with her.

Harry gave his two friends a smile.

Ron then changed topics and asked Harry what happened before Erza left.

Harry was happy to tell them, though he omitted his conversation with Dumbledore and tweaked some of the details so it would not reveal Earth-land.

After a few minutes, Hermione said goodnight, and both Harry and Ron also decided to go to bed.

**Author's notes:** I am terribly sorry about to long update. It was either a) I'm can't get my hands on a computer, b) I don't have the time, c) I don't have the inspiration, or d) all of the above.

I hope this chapter makes up for it.

I will try to make Dumbledore as manipulative as I can get him, without looking like a jerk in the process. Also, I have given hints of a sub-plot as well as the magical affinity of one of the other characters, who can spot hem?

Did you know Hermione being a team manager was made on the fly? I had originally planned only for Harry to join to team, but then I think it would make it more interesting if the entire trio pitches in.

As usual, the HTM modified version would be put up after a few days. I would like to thank my beta reader again for taking his time to read through my stories.

Please read and review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Fairy Tail, and any other franchise that you might recognize is not my property.**

**Chapter 7**

-Quidditch field-

Hermione and Ron were doing light exercises on the entrance of the Quidditch field, waiting for the other members to come.

Harry had already started (doing serious) exercising when they arrived and the other two, feeling guilty over not doing anything, began doing stretches. Harry had just finished his second lap of the field when the other members of the team showed up. They all stopped their impromptu workout and walked towards the older students.

They were all dressed in loose fitting clothes, as per Wood's instructions. Fred and George were carrying the large crate that held the balls that were to be used for practice.

They reached the entrance of the field, Fred and George dropped the crate unceremoniously on the ground.

"Good morning," said Wood

"Same."

"Good morning too."

"Morning."

Wood took a deep breath. "Alright, since we didn't finish our tryouts last week, we don't have a Seeker, we're going to have to conduct another one next week. For now, I need to see what our new recruits can do," he said, his hand pointing towards Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

The other players nodded.

"All of you, get your broomsticks and follow me," he said, and moved to the center of the field.

A few minutes later, and the older players were already in the air, throwing and catching the big red ball, the Quaffle, and dodging the Bludgers. They kept the Snitch inside the crate, lest they lose it and face an angry Madame Hooch.

Wood, Harry, Hermione and Ron remained on the ground.

"And as for you three, I would assume your all familiar with the rules?" he asked.

"Hermione made us read them," murmured Ron.

"Which is important Ron," countered Hermione.

"But the entire book Hermione? That thing was an inch thick!"

"Well, I had no problems reading it."

"I did!"

Harry tapped Ron in the shoulder. "What ever happened to those high-speed reading glasses I gave you?"

Ron's eyes widened. "Uh, back in my trunk. Bloody hell, I completely forgot about those!"

"Language Ron. And Harry, where did you get those reading glasses?" asked Hermione, slightly annoyed that she wasn't given the chance to try out the magic eyeglasses for herself.

"Erza gave it to me, she said it would be useful when I want to read books. Don't know where she got it from though," replied Harry.

Wood cleared his throat, and all three looked back at him.

"Now that I have you attention, have you had your flying lessons already?" he asked.

"Yes," said Harry, who had forgotten that Madame Hooch kept muggle sports equipment. He made a mental note to visit her sometime tomorrow. Hermione however, looked downcast.

Wood took notice of this. "Anything wrong Hermione?" he asked.

Harry and Ron looked at their bushy-haired companion, and back at Wood.

"Hermione's broom never left the ground during the lessons, we think she's afraid of flying," said Ron. Hermione looked away.

"You can watch from the stands today, but try to get some hang of using a broom, alright?" said Wood.

Hermione nodded meekly. She turned around and headed for the stands, notebook in hand.

"As for you two," Wood said to Harry and Ron, "you can start by passing this ball to one another."

He held up a replica Quaffle, borrowed from Madame Hooch, and possessed none of the enchantments that a regular Quaffle has.

He gave the ball to Harry, who quickly passed it to Ron. Ron realized that Wood had intended, and moved several steps back before passing it back to Harry.

Satisfied with the two, Wood mounted his own broom. "I'll get back to you later," he called, and returned to practice.

Thirty minutes later, and the Gryffindor team bore witness to entirely new ways of playing Quidditch, born from two recruits bored out of their wits.

Tired of simply tossing the ball back and forth, Ron punched the Quaffle back and Harry, who noticed what he did and backhanded the ball in return. Ron then elbowed the ball to Harry, who retaliated by kicking it. Soon enough their passes evolved from simple punches and kicks to complicated maneuvers the involved back flips, spinning kicks, their heads, and, when Wood wasn't watching, spare broomsticks.

Quidditch practice stopped, as the players watched in morbid fascination of their new team members.

Eventually however, fatigue crept into Ron's body, and his movements became slower as time passed by. After more than an hour of intense kicking and flipping, Ron finally called for a break.

He sat on the ground, covered with sweat and panting heavily. Harry came up to him, breathing heavily himself, but not as much as Ron.

The two grinned at each other.

"That was fun," commented Ron, still breathing through his mouth.

"Likewise," replied Harry.

"Good job."

Ron and Harry looked up to see who said that, and saw the entire Quidditch team land in front of them, Wood in the lead.

Fred and George suddenly popped from behind Wood, and tackled Ron. Within seconds the three Weasleys were on the ground, a rolling mass of fists and headlocks. The twins tried to include Harry in the commotion, but he wisely stepped back.

"Those were some moves our little brother made today, don't you agree Fred?" said George. Ron was struggling to wriggle free of his headlock.

"Yes indeed George. In fact, he could replace us in becoming Beaters!" agreed Fred. He was holding Ron by his ankles.

"Maybe even replace Wood as Keeper!"

"Get off me!" screamed Ron.

While Ron tried to escape from his brothers' clutches, Harry was being congratulated by the rest of the team.

"That was an amazing display of skill you showed there Harry," said Katie Bell, one of the Chasers of the team.

"Too true, if only first years were allowed to play," agreed Angelina Johnson.

"Dumbledore ought to give you two an exception..."

"Leave that to me."

Everyone, but the Weasleys who were still fighting, whirled around, and they saw the figure of Minerva McGonagall standing before them, Hermione by her side.

"Miss Granger here informed me that the Gryffindor Quidditch team was practicing today, and I thought it would be interesting to see if our new recruits are up to scratch," she said.

All the players laughed awkwardly, and Professor McGonagall continued.

"I will talk to the Headmaster about allowing Misters Potter and Weasley an official spot on the team."

"Really? That's so cool!" exclaimed Alicia Spinnet.

"Thank you Professor!"

"Now we don't have to conduct tryouts next week."

McGonagall smiled at all of them. '_It's good to be young,'_ she thought.

"Miss Granger will keep me informed of anything else that's happening," she cleared her throat, "now then, with the addition your new recruits, I expect you to put up a good fight in your matches, so practice well."

All the players said their affirmatives

She nodded to Wood, and left the field.

With a relieved sigh, Wood turned to the rest of the team. "Looks like we won't have to do another set of tryouts then," he breathed. The others shared his expression. Sorting through dozens of young hopefuls wanting to be on the team is tough work.

He called for the Weasleys to stop their wrestling match and listen to him. Fred, George, and Ron stopped fighting and stood to attention.

"Now that we're all rested and relaxed, it's back to practice," he said, before looking at Ron and Harry, "and for the two of you, let's see how good those skills are on a broom."

He smiled maliciously, and Harry and Ron both had a feeling that their practice is about to get a lot harder.

-Early morning-

Used to regular exercise and punishment, Harry recovered rather quickly after the practice. Wood had pushed the two to their limits. Even after the other members of the team had called it a day, Wood had Harry and Ron avoiding Bludgers well into the night.

"We need you at your very best by the first Quidditch match," he said.

It was fortunate that Hermione was still around when they finally finished, because Ron was barely able to stand and Harry was too tired to support him properly.

Harry was now exploring the third floor, in his continuing quest to know all the nooks and crannies of the castle. One month of wandering has led him to discover eight secret passageways, three hidden rooms, one of which changes according to what the person requires, the Hogwarts kitchen, dozens of fake doors, and staircases which lead to nowhere.

He turned a corner, and nearly collided with Draco Malfoy. Malfoy however, paid this no heed as he shoved Harry out of the way and ran past him.

Curious to see what had made Malfoy so scared, Harry poked his head out of the corner, and saw Peeves, the resident poltergeist of the school whom Harry had met a few times, grinning maliciously and holding a stack of candy canes.

_'He must be using stealthy approach,'_ thought Harry, since he didn't hear any of Peeves' usual mad cackling.

Nothing good ever comes out of a meeting with Peeves, and so Harry joined Malfoy in his running.

He ran and ran until he saw Malfoy staring at a door at the far end of the corridor. A dead end.

Laughter from the other end of the hall alerted the two to a slowly approaching poltergeist, and Harry turned to Malfoy to ask if he had anything that can be used to pick locks with him.

Malfoy was gone.

As Harry desperately tried to recall the lockpicking spell that he had read about, a ghastly hand burst from the door, grabbed him, and pulled him inside.

Peeves reached the door, only to find thin air. Disappointed, he turned around, and began his search for another victim.

Harry blinked at the change in scenery. He was in a large room, with nothing else in it except for a very large three-headed dog on the far end. The dog was sleeping, and the edges of a trapdoor can be seen underneath it.

His heart pounding, he immediately clamped a hand in his mouth, and turned to Malfoy. The smug look on Malfoy's face was an instant giveaway that he was enjoying Harry's reaction. Harry gave Malfoy a questioning stare.

"Something that I found out during one of my early morning exploring," he said, his smirk grew wider, "I discovered I can walk through walls."

When he was sure he was no longer on the verge of panic, Harry removed his hand from his mouth.

"How did you find out?" he asked.

"Peeves."

"Ah."

Harry briefly tried to recall what type of magic allowed people to go through walls.

_'Phantasm magic, allows the wizard to go through walls and become invisible. That must be Malfoy's magical affinity'_ he thought.

Malfoy looked around the room. "What is this place?"

"Looks like we're in that forbidden corridor that Professor Dumbledore told us about," replied Harry.

"But why is there a three-headed dog here?"

"Dunno, but I think it has something to do with that thing that was stolen from Gringotts a few weeks back. The vault that was broken into was emptied on the same day," said Harry.

"Yes, I heard my father talking about that at home. He said he felt our money isn't as secure as before after that incident," answered Malfoy.

"Must be why the guy who almost got his gold stolen decided to put it here," said Harry. He wondered if the gold that Dumbledore took from Gringotts the day that he accompanied him was the same gold that the thief was trying to get.

"I don't think it's gold."

Harry broke away from his musings and raised an eyebrow at Malfoy. "Is there anything else besides money that can be put In Gringotts?"

"You don't know the wizarding world as much as you thought, did you Potter?" smirked Malfoy.

Harry said nothing, though he was a little miffed at the vaguely disguised insult. Malfoy was still smiling, but continued his explanation.

"Yes, you can actually put other items besides money at wizard banks. In fact, Gringotts is a frequent storage area for many family heirlooms and artifacts. We have one of the highest security vaults on that bank, but we rarely put anything too valuable in there, the Malfoy family manor has enough wards and charms to rival even the Ministry of Magic itself." he said proudly.

Sudden movement on the other side of the room caused the two to pause. The dog was beginning to stir.

They were fortunate that the lock on the door wasn't both ways, and Harry and Malfoy left the room in a hurry.

-Later-

Harry entered the Great Hall to find Ron slurping steaming hot soup and Hermione reading a newspaper.

"Where did you get the paper Hermione?" he asked.

Hermione looked up from the paper. "Oh it's you Harry. From the library, Professor McGonagall asked me to find a suitable broom for the two of you, since the school broomsticks are incredibly slow and outdated. I'm looking at the ads to see if there's any for sale," she said. She set down the paper on the table and fumbled in her bag for some parchment and quill.

Ron, in the meantime, had finished his soup and was reaching for a stack of pancakes. Harry sat down next to him.

"Ron, isn't you tongue still, well, numb after drinking hot soup?"

Ron stuffed a mouthful of pancakes first before answering. "Sh'ope, ish shnot shat hotsh," he said as he shook his head.

Harry only understood him because he shook his head. He eyed the pot of soup carefully; it was still emitting large amounts of steam. Many of the other students who took a bowl decided to let it cool first before taking a sip. Ron had drunk an entire bowl straight from the pot and with no waiting time.

_'Unless Ron is used to drinking scalding hot beverages on a regular basis, I'd bet magic is at work,' _he thought, and made a promise to himself to find out Ron's and Hermione's magical affinities…if he can find the time.

"I'll take your word for it," said Harry while he pulled the toast and jam towards him.

Meanwhile, Hermione was using both hands to raid the inside of her bag for an ink bottle, her eyes on the newspaper as she scanned for advertisements on broomsticks. She flipped a page, and her attention was drawn to an article on the Sports section. It was a small piece of news, but it interested her greatly.

"Interesting," she mused, as the piece of parchment straightened itself out, ready for her to jot down anything that might be important.

-Later that week-

"I'll see you guys later, I have to book the Quidditch field for our next practice,'" said Wood as he broke off from his friends to Madame Hooch's office.

On the way, his mind wandered to the three first years. Harry had the potential to be skilled in any position he might be put in, making him well-suited to being a reserve player in case anything might happen to the starter players. Ron, on the other hand, seemed to be geared more towards more power-oriented positions such as Beating and Keeping. He also had a tendency to make lots of arm movements, something that is discouraged in Chasers and Seekers. And finally Hermione, while Wood hadn't seen much of her on their last practice because of the girl's fear of broomsticks, he guessed it must be the broomstick and not flying itself that she's afraid of, he did see that she clearly wants to do her part for the team and that she was very observant, making her prime material for a Chaser or a Seeker, if she ever got over her fear.

He reached the office of Madame Hooch. With a small knock, he opened the door and headed inside.

Madame Hooch's office was a large room filled with shelves and cabinets of both magical and muggle sports equipment. Her table was on the center of the room, and was usually littered with stacks of borrowing permits, booking schedules, promissory notes for broken equipment, and tournament rankings. Her whistle sat on top of everything.

The flying instructions professor had just emerged from the back of her office, holding a punctured volleyball and looking very cross. When she saw Wood standing behind the door, her mood only soured.

"Well, what do you want? I've got things to do," she snapped.

"Um, I would like to schedule the Quidditch pitch next Saturday for the Gryffindor team, ma'am," said Wood.

The look Madame Hooch was giving him made him aware that he had said something that annoyed her.

"Is anything wrong ma'am?"

"No, but you're a little bit too late."

Wood paled at that. With no other time to practice, he and his team was stuck to using the area next to the field, which had unfavorable winds that made practice difficult.

"Who booked it?" he asked, worried that it might be Slytherin who snatched their practice time away from them.

"Gryffindor. A first-year named Granger had already scheduled all the Saturdays of the year, as well as the Friday nights, for the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

It took Wood a few seconds to let the words sink in. When it did, he breathed an enormous sigh of relief. He vowed to give something to Professor Dumbledore this Christmas for giving him the idea of recruiting Hermione as a team manager.

"Oh, okay then, I'll be going now," he said, and turned to the door.

Madame Hooch had almost seated herself when the door opened itself again, and Wood stuck his head in the room.

"Just a question ma'am, what's the ball for?" he asked.

"Potter intends to borrow the ball, is there anything else?" she replied through gritted teeth. Wood shook his head 'no' and hurried out.

-Saturday-

The Gryffindor Quidditch team was once again on the field, this time doing stretches and running laps around the field first before taking to the air. Harry had goaded them into doing the exercises when he said that it would improve their endurance, thus allowing them to last longer on the game. He also tried to get them to play volleyball, but the rest of the team, save Fred and George, refused.

They were finally preparing for take-off when Professor McGonagall and Hermione walked in again on their practice. Behind them were seven long parcels wrapped in brown paper, one of which was slightly smaller than the others. The team stopped their practice to greet their Head of House.

Professor McGonagall and Hermione waved them 'good morning', which they responded in kind.

"I have with me here your new broomsticks. All of you have to thank Miss Granger here for her efforts. I originally intended only to buy one new broomstick for the Seeker, but Miss Granger managed to track down used ones that were still in good condition," said McGonagall.

"I found it on an ad on the Daily Prophet. The Manchester United Quidditch team was upgrading their brooms, and had set up an auction for their old ones. The brooms are professional racing brooms, and are still in top form," said Hermione. She and Professor McGonagall stepped back and let the team inspect their equipment.

The team, Harry and Ron included, practically jumped from the brooms they were riding to open the packages. The paper was ripped to shreds and the team, excluding Harry because he didn't know much about brooms, found themselves with their jaws on the ground.

"Wow! This is a Zeroth Feathermoon!," exclaimed Fred, George and Ron were looking from behind him, "The Zeroth company's answer to the Nimbus 95, this thing is one of the most balanced brooms ever designed, and gives good performance no matter what you make it do. I can't believe I'm actually holding one in my hands!"

George and Ron more or less agreed to his sentiment.

As everyone was admiring the Feathermoons, a scream from Alicia Spinnet sent them all looking at her direction.

"What, what is it?" asked Wood.

Alicia was too shocked to answer, and showed them the broom that was in her hands instead.

Those who had knowledge of brooms gave similar cries of surprise.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Bloody hell!"

"Is this true?"

Harry tapped Wood in the shoulder to ask what was going on.

"What's going on? Harry, what Aliclia has in her hands is a Zeroth Windrunner! Built as a better alternative to the Nimbus 98, the Windrunner crushed the 98 in all comparison tests. It's one of the best brooms ever made! It's so good that Zeroth is still making these even after they released newer versions like the Windwaker and the Blink, and even then the Windrunner still performed admirably against its newer sisters. Why would the United want to sell this broom away?"

"The letter sent to me said they were making an order of the Blink, which was just released last summer," said Hermione.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, and all fussing and discussion stopped.

"Now that you have your new brooms, I expect a good performance in the Quidditch Cup."

"Yes Professor!"

"You can count on us ma'am!"

"Of course!"

"Yes!"

McGonagall smiled at her team, before departing back to the castle.

When McGonagall was out of earshot, Wood leaned in to Hermione.

"How much did all these cost?" he asked.

Hermione reached up to his ear and whispered her answer. Wood stood up straighter.

"Considering these are high quality brooms used by one of the better teams in England, I'd say that was relatively cheap," he commented.

He clapped his hands, and the team stood to attention.

"Alright. Now we've got the equipment, it's time for us to provide the skill. Take to the skies, we will practice twice as hard from now on!" he shouted the last part and shot his fist up into the air, and the entire team, sans him and Hermione, jumped on their new brooms and flew away, the Bludgers tearing after them.

Wood then looked at Hermione. He grabbed two of the old brooms that were left behind and gave one to Hermione.

"Now, let's see if we can't cure you of your fear of broomsticks," he said, gesturing for Hermione to straddle the broom.

-A few weeks later-

Harry knocked on Dumbledore's office, and waited until the headmaster gave his approval to enter.

After they received their new brooms, Hermione would join the rest of the team in practice, although she would always hover just a few feet above the ground and often near Wood.

In an effort to increase her confidence, Wood would fly a little higher whenever it seemed that Hermione lost her fear of flying at a certain height, enticing her to follow him. The rest of the team would cheer her on, further bolstering her resolve. By their third practice she was able to fly on the same level as the other players. She did not move around very much however, and still stuck close to Wood.

Harry found Dumbledore beside the place were the portkey would appear. The headmaster turned to look at him.

"Ah Harry, I assume you're here for your monthly mail?" he asked.

"Hello Professor. What are you doing standing beside the table?" said Harry.

"I am adjusting the time that the portkey will appear. Instead of once every thirty days, I am making it so that it would activate every end of the month. I feel it would be easier to predict when the portkey will appear during those times. Can you send a message to Makarov when the portkey returns?" requested Dumbledore.

"Yes Professor."

They waited for a few more minutes, until they saw the telltale vortex that accompanies the arrival of a portkey. The cauldron landed on the table with a thud, and Erza along with it.

Harry was ecstatic to meet Erza again, while Dumbledore looked slightly annoyed. Harry rushed to his friend.

"Erza! Great to see you again!" he exclaimed, and hugged her.

"Same to you Harry," said Erza, who returned the hug.

They stayed like this until Dumbledore cleared his throat. Harry and Erza separated and turned to him.

"It's good to see you too Professor," said Erza.

"It is good to see you as well, but I was hoping that no one would come this time," said Dumbledore.

"Why Professor?" asked Erza.

"Professor Dumbledore thinks the less people who know about you, and Earth-land in general, the better," said Harry.

"What Harry said is correct. The Ministry of Magic will go ballistic when they hear of a world completely separate from our own. They will attempt to enter it and establish order, and that would only lead to complications between our two worlds," explained Dumbledore.

'_Plus the accompanying paperwork would be unbelievable,'_ he thought, sneaking a gaze to the already large pile on his desk. He shivered at the thought.

"I see, in that case, I will stay here until the portkey returns. That way I will go unnoticed," said Erza, already moving to sit on one of the chairs. Harry looked scandalized.

"But Professor, everyone in the school already knows about Erza. It would be pointless to keep her hidden," he said.

Dumbledore thought for a moment, before agreeing to Harry's opinion. "You have a point Harry," said Dumbledore.

He took one of the spare Prefect badges that were on the table. With a flick of his wand, the large P that was on the badge was replaced by the word "Guest" and the background changed from a Slytherin green to a Hogwarts black. The word Guest was colored white.

He gave the badge to Erza. "I will allow you and only you, Miss Scarlet, to visit Harry. I'm afraid I will not tolerate any of the other members of Faiy Tail. Please tell your master what I said."

Considering Erza is one of the saner members of an insane guild, Harry thought Professor Dumbledore made a wise decision.

"Yes Professor," said Erza as she took the badge. She removed her armor and pinned the badge on the sleeveless shirt underneath.

Dumbledore nodded and returned to his desk. "And Harry?" he asked.

"Yes Professor?"

"Don't you have classes to attend to?"

Harry's eyes widened.

"Oh man, Professor Snape will kill me!"

He bolted out of the room, with Erza following close behind.

Dumbledore watched as they ran down the Headmaster's office and to the dungeons, and noticed that Harry forgot to take the enormous pile of letters from the cauldron.

He chuckled as he closed the door with his wand. _'It must be good to be young,_' he mused as he dipped his quill on some ink to work on the three huge stacks of paperwork on his desk.

-Dungeons-

"So glad you could join us Mister Potter, ten points from Gryffindor for being late," said Snape as Harry stood on the entrance of the dungeon. He quirked his eyebrow when he saw Erza appear beside Harry.

"And what would your girlfriend be doing here Mister Potter?" he asked, to the immense shock of nearly all the students in the room. Ron and Hermione knew that the two acted more like best friends than anything else and so weren't as surprised.

Being a friend of Erza and a former slave at the Tower of Heaven meant any concept of romance flies out the window. Harry stepped aside to introduce her.

"Professor, this is Erza Scarlet, a friend of mine back home. She's here as a visitor for the day," he said, pointing to the Guest badge on Erza's chest.

"Another five points for bringing a stranger to class Mister Potter. Go to your seat and get to work on the potion on the board," said Snape.

Harry muttered a quick apology and a promise to not be late again, before he and Erza moved to join Ron and Hermione on their seats.

Snape however, put a hand on Erza's shoulder. She and Harry turned to look at the potions teacher.

"Please stay on the back of the room Miss Scarlet. Guest or not, I will not allow anyone to disturb my class."

Erza nodded. Harry leaned close to her ear. "Stay sharp. Professor Snape is one of the more irritable teachers in the school. Plus I get a feeling he can read minds," he whispered.

Erza gave a small nod. From a pocket in her skirt, she pulled out her old eyepatch and placed it on her right eye.

Curious as he was, Harry couldn't risk angering Snape further, and moved to his seat.

Snape curled his lips. Dumbledore had warned him that Potter was a specialist in mental magic, and so prohibited him from performing Legilimency on the boy. But the girl that Potter brought with him wasn't a user of mental magic, and hence presented an opportunity to know about Potter's mysterious past.

While the class was busy with the potion he assigned them to make (a cure for boils), he strode over to the back of the room. The girl had placed an eyepatch over her right eye, but it didn't matter to Snape, who can perform Legilimency even with one of the target's eyes closed.

The girl, after looking around the room, finally rested her eyes on him, and Snape took his chance. But try as he might, no matter how hard he attempted to pry into the girl's mind, her head remained a brick wall, impossible to penetrate.

He was thankful that he had mastered the art of masking his emotions; otherwise he knew his face would be one of frustration and disappointment. He angrily broke away from the girl and began inspecting the work of the other students.

The Granger girl had created a flawless potion, as had Potter, though his was just a shade too light and was given a point deduction. Wealey was trying to fix his potion; Snape noted that the boy had put too much papaya juice and was now trying to balance it out by adding vinegar.

The bell rang after fifteen minutes, just enough time for Weasley to rectify his mistake, and Snape dismissed the class. He watched as Potter and the girl left the dungeons with Weasley and Granger.

With an angry scowl on his face, he set about clearing the classroom for the next class.

-Great Hall-

"Why did you wear an eyepatch back at Professor Snape's class Erza?" asked Hermione as the four of them ate lunch at the Great Hall.

"It's more out of habit that anything else," replied Erza.

Hermione suspected that there was more to the story than what Erza was telling her, but let it go.

"So, Erza, are you going to stay for the Halloween feast tonight?" said Ron.

Erza opened her mouth, but Harry beat her to it. "Sad to say she isn't. The portkey leaves at six in the afternoon, she must be home by then," he explained.

"Oh," said Ron, looking slightly disappointed.

The bell rang, and they stood up from their seats to go to the greenhouses for Herbology.

Hermione opened the door of the hall, and nearly bumped into Professor Quirrell as he walked inside.

"S-sorry Professor," she stammered. She and the others moved to the side to let him pass.

"N-no, it's o-okay," replied Quirrell. He moved aside to let them pass. The group gave their thanks, and quickly left the hall.

"Professor Quirrell smelled like he's got garlic with him," commented Erza.

"Haha, that's what everyone says. They claim the turban he's wearing is stuffed full of garlic," said Ron.

"I doubt that's garlic he's carrying with him. It must be some sort of charm," said Hermione, "what do you think Harry?"

"Professor Quirrell somehow gives me the creeps," replied Harry.

"Really, why?"

"I don't know. But for some reason I want to avoid him. And my head aches whenever I'm near him."

"Your head aches when you're near him? Have you talked to Madam Pomprey mate?" asked Ron.

"I have, she said that sometimes students would feel pressure whenever one of their teachers is near them, especially when the subject is difficult. The thing is, Professor Quirrell's class isn't even that hard, so why would I feel stressed when he's around?"

Before anyone could comment any further, they reached the greenhouses, and they ambled inside.

-Headmaster's office-

"See you next month Erza," said Harry as Erza wore her armor again and touched the portkey.

"Of course. Try not to get rusty Harry, your classes don't exactly offer a lot of physical exercise."

"I do a lot of extracurricular activities," smirked Harry.

They shared one more hug, and Erza was once again whisked away back to Earth-land.

"I would advise that you go down immediately to the Halloween feast Harry, I will follow you later," said Dumbledore, who was still unfinished with the paperwork. Minerva dumped another two stacks that afternoon, by which time he was already using a special mentally controlled quill due to his hand hurting.

"Yes Professor," answered Harry.

He left Dumbledore's office, leaving the headmaster alone and in desperate need of a helper, and returned to the Great Hall.

He sat beside Ron.

"Where's Hermione?" he asked.

"She said that she would go to the bathroom first. She must have eaten something that disagreed it her," said Ron.

Harry thought it strange that the house elves would prepare bad food, especially after he saw the quality and cleanliness of the ingredients.

During one of his morning escapades, he discovered the Hogwarts kitchen. After the initial shock of meeting the house elves, Harry had practically begged them to let him cook. The house elves seemed to think little of this, and allowed him access to the ingredients, but asked that he not put anything on the magical tables that would take the food up to the Great Hall. He had become a regular sight in the kitchen ever since.

The feast had just begun when the doors of the Great Hall burst open, and a haggard looking Professor Quirrell stormed inside. His eyes were wide, and he was trying to reach the teacher's table.

"TROLL! DUNGEON!" he shouted, before collapsing midway down the hall.

The entire hall was silent for a few moments.

And panic ensued.

**Author's note:** I would like to apologize to the delay in the update. It had been one hell of a time for me and my school life is higher on my priority list than fanfiction.

That said, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited this story. Your continued patronage is why I am inspired to finish this chapter as fast as I possibly can.

I hope everyone's still in character, so tell me otherwise. Any suggestions on how to improve this story would be nice but **I will not bash any character**. Pairings are also way too early to be put in place, especially with Harry and the others being so young.

I would like to thank HTM once more for being my beta reader for this story, and I hope he isn't had at me for taking so long to update.

I hope this chapter makes up for the long hiatus, and please read and review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor Fairy Tail. If you find any other familiar franchises, I don't own them as well.**

**Chapter 8**

Panic swept across the entire hall like a wave. Teachers and prefects could be heard shouting over cries of alarmed students. Nearly everyone tried to get to the door at the same time, causing a stampede that left quite a few students crushed in the tangle of bodies and feet.

"Everyone stay calm and move in an orderly manner!"

"There is no need to panic!"

"First years, follow us!"

"No pushing!"

Harry stood up immediately and headed for the exits, before the other students, with Ron following closely behind. When they reached the hallway outside, Harry suddenly veered away from the other students.

"Harry, where are you going? The Gryffindor Tower's that way!" said Ron.

"Hermione doesn't know about the troll Ron, we've got to find her," replied Harry. He stole a quick glance at the teachers. Dumbledore was directing the heads of houses to different parts of the castle, each of whom went off in multiple directions around Hogwarts. Others were helping trampled students back on their feet, while the rest relegated to traffic control.

Feeling safe enough to continue, Harry nodded to himself.

"Ron, did Hermione say what bathroom she was going?" he asked his stunned friend.

"You're really going to go through with this Harry? We're talking about a troll here and-"

"Ron, Hermione's in danger. If you don't want to come with me, then at least tell me where she went."

Ron bit his lip, his thoughts going a million kilometers an hour.

"The bathroom near the Transfiguration classroom, that's where she went," he finally said, his eyes looking downwards.

Harry nodded, and went off in the direction of the Transfiguration classroom. Ron hesitated for a moment, before taking off after him.

"Harry, wait!"

-Bathroom-

Hermione grabbed a paper towel from the towel rack, feeling very relieved after using the toilet and washing her face. Finished with her business in the bathroom, she grabbed her things and headed for the door.

The first thing that greeted her eyes was an enormous troll.

-Corridor-

Harry and Ron heard a scream ahead of them.

"Harry, did you hear that, that sounded like Hermione!" cried Ron, panicked.

"We've got to hurry," said Harry, and picked up his speed.

Harry felt bad about leaving Ron behind, but he needed to get to Hermione immediately. But to his great surprise, Ron suddenly overtook him, and even managed to put distance between them. Harry looked at Ron, impressed at how much his friend was concentrating. He also felt traces of magic in Ron's wake.

_'He's using magic and he's not even realizing it,' _he thought. _'Augment magic maybe? That would explain...'_

Harry shook his head of distracting thoughts, and continued to run.

-Bathroom-

Hermione backed into a corner, as the troll closed in on her. As it moved closer and closer, the troll smashed bathroom sinks and toilets in its way, spraying it and Hermione in a shower of water and covering the floor of the bathroom in a thin film of liquid.

Hermione screamed, as her legs finally gave out, and she slumped to the floor.

At last, the troll was right on top of her. It raised its club above itself, and prepared to use it to bludgeon the puny girl in front. Hermione closed her eyes and looked away, silently crying to herself and wishing for a miracle to happen.

A thud was heard, and another, and another. Each time, Hermione flinched and cringed at the sound, wincing in pain every time the troll swung its club.

Only there was no pain.

It took a while for Hermione to realize that she wasn't the one being hit. She dared to open one eye, and found, to her utter amazement, rolls of parchment blocking every strike that the troll tried to make.

She sat up straighter, completely astonished as the paper interrupted every attempt that the troll tried on her life, a protective barrier from the outside forces trying to kill her.

There was something written in the parchment, and Hermione realized that it was her own handwriting that was in the paper. She stole a glance at her bag, which was open, and vaguely wondered how the paper managed to take a life of its own.

The troll roared in rage, pulling Hermione out of her musings and, to her horror, decided to hold the club using both hands.

Hermione gulped, afraid that the paper might not be strong enough to deflect blows from two hands, and desperately wished that the parchment would warp around the troll to subdue it.

To her surprise and shock, the parchment did just that, and enveloped the troll from head to toe. The troll dropped its club in surprise, and fell to the floor in a thunderous crash.

Breathing heavily, Hermione shakily got up to her feet, her mind trying to process everything that happened in the last thirty seconds.

_'Did I do that? Did the paper just follow me?' _she thought, staring at the troll.

The troll struggled violently, and the paper started to rip. Hermione hastily grabbed what's left of her things and headed for the door, bumping directly into Ron in the process.

The two tumbled into the floor. Harry showed up a second later.

"Harry, Ron!"

"Hermione!"

Harry helped the two get up, and Hermione hugged them both.

"It's great to see you two and all, but we need to get out here now, the troll will escape from the paper soon!" she said, upon letting go.

Harry and Ron looked over her shoulders, and sure enough, the troll had ripped through a significant amount of parchment, and was set to tear through more.

Harry ran towards the troll.

"Harry, what are you doing?!" shouted Hermione. Ron yelled something similar to Harry as well.

Harry paid them no heed as he moved closer to the troll. He placed his hand on its head, and mumbled something under his breath.

The effects were almost instantaneous. The troll calmed down, and stopped struggling. Moments later, it fell asleep. Harry gently laid the troll's head on the floor, before returning back to the other two.

Both of them were staring wide-eyed at him.

"What?"

"How'd you manage to get the troll to calm down?" asked Ron, shocked, impressed, and curious all at once.

Harry shrugged. "I pressed the right buttons," he said.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something when Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Sprout, and Dumbledore entered the bathroom.

"What happened here?" demanded Snape.

"The troll was in the bathroom sir," said Harry.

A vein throbbed in Snape's forehead.

"I realize that Mister Potter, what I want to know is how you kids managed to stop it," he snapped.

"It was Hermione, Professor, we found the troll mummified in paper when we got here," said Ron.

All eyes were on Hermione. She shrunk under their gaze, especially Dumbledore's. Her very soul felt like it was being pierced by the blue eyes of the headmaster.

"I-don't know what happened. One second the troll was going to club me and the next the papers suddenly attacked it."

Flitwick raised an eyebrow.

"Papers?"

The professors looked back at the sleeping troll, whose legs were still wrapped in homework. Sprout and Flitwick strode over to the troll. The Charms professor waved his wand, and the papers were replaced by stronger ropes.

"Most interesting, how did you manage to enchant the paper Miss Granger?" asked Sprout.

Hermione paled.

"Uh..."

What would she tell the teachers? Wandless magic? But it's all but impossible to have that degree of control over magic without wands. Lie to them? They'd find out the truth in no time. Blame it on Harry? Friendship over.

Fortunately, Dumbledore saved her from answering.

"We will talk about it later in my office Miss Granger, but for now, you and Misters Potter and Weasley need to get to the hospital wing."

Hermione breathed a silent sigh of relief.

McGonagall, on the other hand, was scolding Harry and Ron.

"You two know better than you run off after a fully grown mountain troll! I don't care if Miss Granger was in trouble, the last thing I need is more students in danger because of your recklessness! You two will be given detention and a ten point deduction from Gryffindor."

The students in question grinned sheepishly at each other. McGonagall sighed.

"On the other hand, the three of you did subdue a troll, a feat even adult wizards would have trouble doing so. You will each get twenty points for your actions."

Harry and Ron clapped each other a high-five.

"If I may Minerva, may I request that I handle the detention, I feel that I have more appropriate punishments for them," interrupted Dumbledore.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, if you insist, but I expect you to tell me what you have in mind for my students."

"Thank you very much. Now then you three," Dumbledore indicated to Hermione, Harry and Ron, "off to the hospital wing now, and I expect you in my office after you're done."

The three students gave their thanks, and left the room.

Once he was sure the three were out of earshot, Dumbledore turned to the other teachers.

"I believe I have told you about magical affinity?"

Nods and affirmatives from the other instructors. "Yes, if I remember, wizards in that other world don't use wands, instead they take advantage of the type of magic they're most familiar with to compensate for the lack of a focus, am I correct?" said Flitwick.

"Right. And I do believe we have found Miss Granger's magical affinity, mastery over paper."

There was a general murmur amongst the others.

"Do you intend to train Miss Granger, Dumbledore? Potter is already skilled in mental magic, thought Weasley has yet to learn of his affinity. Am I right to assume that you are training these children as soldiers?" asked Snape.

Dumbledore garnered hard looks from Sprout, Flitwick, and McGonagall. He shook his head.

"Only as a side effect Severus. My main purpose is to protect the wizarding world, as it had been for many years. The children are the ones that hold the future Severus, not us, and it is in them that I will entrust it. Besides, it wouldn't hurt for them to learn something new, they'll have a unique skill they can put in their resume once they graduate."

Snape still didn't look convinced, but did not press on.

"And how will you go about with this, Dumbledore? It's not like you can just go back to the other world to learn the magic there. The children still have to learn of the magic of _this_ world, and their parents, except for Harry, will be worried," said Sprout.

"Oh, let me take care of that."

Flitwick suddenly coughed, and everyone turned to him instead. The tiny professor took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it to Snape.

"In other news, Miss Granger lost her Potions homework as she used it to trap the troll, I thought I should turn it in on her behalf."

Snape curtly took the parchment, saying nothing. He skimmed over the homework. Perfect score.

-Later, Dumbledore's office-

Hermione, Ron, and Harry knocked on the door.

"Come in," said Dumbledore from the inside.

They entered. Hermione and Ron looked on in awe at the many items and socks that were in Dumbledore's office. Harry wondered vaguely how Dumbledore managed to procure so many different socks.

Dumbledore smiled at the childish wonder of the students. "Misters Potter and Weasley, could you stay outside for a moment, I would like to talk to Miss Granger alone."

"Yes Professor." Harry and Ron left the office, leaving Hermione alone with the Headmaster.

Hermione gulped. What could Professor Dumbledore possibly want with her?

But Dumbledore smiled kindly at her, and motioned for her to sit down. Hermione did so, nervously.

"Now then Miss Granger," he began, "I understand that you are confused and possibly scared as to what had happened just an hour ago, hence I will try to explain everything as best as I can."

Hermione nodded.

Dumbledore continued. He sat down on the chair in behind the desk, directly in front of her. For added effect, he brought his hands together and looked at her straight in the eyes. Hermione once again felt like the headmaster was peering into her soul.

"Tell me everything you remember about the incident," said Dumbledore.

For the next ten minutes, Hermione recounted as much as she could remember while she was inside the bathroom, aside of course, of details of why she was there in the first place (also known as using the toilet).

When she was finished, Dumbledore closed his eyes, taking in everything that Hermione said and that he had seen personally. He opened his eyes after what Hermione guessed was a minute and a half.

"Miss Granger, have you heard about magical affinity?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. As far as she knows, the only way to properly control magic was by using a wand. Otherwise it would take a near-miracle for magic to be utilized safely and correctly.

"Magical affinity is a theory of mine about the use of magic. Instead of using a wand to control magic, a wizard would find a type of magic that suits them the most, such as Charms, and practice with it exclusively. The result is a wizard with remarkable expertise in that type of magic, to the point that as long as spells are within the type of magic he is studying, he won't even need a wand to cast them. However, he would have difficulty doing anything else."

-Outside the office-

Harry and Ron sat on the floor outside the headmaster's office, trying to make themselves comfortable on the cold, hard floor.

Naturally, they heard every word that Dumbledore was saying. While Ron was fantasizing about what his affinity would be, Harry laughed to himself.

_'Well, technically magical affinity IS a new theory in this world,'_ he thought.

-Dumbledore's office-

"An example would be the famous writer Gilderoy Lockhart. The man was an exceptional Charms user when he was a student here, but his grades in Transfiguration were abysmal..."

Hermione wished that she had some paper and a pen with her. As she listened to Dumbledore talk, she unconsciously reached for her pen, which she had smuggled into the school when she found out they still use quills, and kept one eye on the pieces of paper on the headmaster's desk.

"...and I also think that Mister Potter has a magical affinity." said Dumbledore. Hermione looked at Dumbledore with both eyes when he said Harry's name. A roll of parchment moved themselves beside an unwitting Hermione, ready for her to take down notes.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Mister Potter. Professor Flitwick told me about their one class where he levitated a feather without the use of a wand. Mister Potter may have a magical affinity towards levitation."

Hermione thought of this. That would explain how Harry was able to levitate the feather so easily, or how he would make books float all around himself seemingly without any effort.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, bringing Hermione out of her musings. "And as for you Miss Granger, I believe you have a close connection with paper."

Hermione was both surprised and unsurprised by the news. On one hand, that would explain how she was able to control her homework from earlier. On the other hand, it seemed so absurd that she, an ordinary (by magical standards) student, would possess magical abilities many other wizards do not. It all sounded so unbelievable.

Dumbledore seemed to have read her mind.

"If you still want proof Miss Granger, look beside you."

Hermione did so, and nearly dropped her pen when she saw what was floating beside her; a roll of parchment positioned in such a way that her hand won't be stressed while writing.

Nervously, she waved a hand over the parchment, intending for it to move in front of her. The paper obediently changed its position, slowly relocating right in front of Hermione. She looked back at Dumbledore, eyes wide in excitement, curiosity, and a slight tinge of fear.

The headmaster merely smiled back at her. "I see you are convinced. I would like for you to practice your new found ability Miss Granger, I am certain it would be much use someday."

"Are there any books that can help me Professor?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "The heads of houses and myself are the only ones who are aware of this new theory, and I have yet to publish my findings. Perhaps the library has something that might help you and Mister Potter, and Mister Weasley if he ever discovers his magical affinity."

Hermione nodded. An awkward silence descended upon the room as both occupants waited for the other to say something.

It was Dumbledore who finally broke it. "Oh, you may leave now Miss Granger."

"Thank you Professor." Hermione stood up from her chair. Curious to know if she can make the paper do more complicated things than simply floating in mid-air, she pointed a hand at the parchment in front of her, willing it to roll itself up and return to Dumbledore's table. The paper obliged, albeit a bit slowly, and placed itself above a stack of unfinished paperwork.

Hermione smiled, gathered up her things and headed for the door. As she neared, she suddenly heard a scrambling of feet and hasty movement.

"Yes, Miss Granger, they heard everything. Sadly, solid oak doors does not prevent eavesdropping even in my office."

Hermione sighed bemusedly, and opened the door to find Harry and Ron sitting just a few feet away from the staircase. They stared at her sheepishly. Busted.

"You know guys, Dumbledore wanted to talk to me _alone_."

Harry and Ron grinned at her.

"We know Hermione, but we just couldn't resist listening in," said Harry.

"Blimey Hermione, you and Harry have got some really cool powers, I'll bet mine would make things explode," quipped Ron. He was grinning from ear to ear, but Harry noticed that his mind was going in a different direction. He made a mental note to himself to help Ron discover his own magic.

"Not to worry Mister Weasley, I am very certain that you'll discover your magic affinity soon."

All three turned around to see Dumbledore standing in the hallway. "Mister Potter, may I have a word with you for a moment?"

Harry looked back at Ron and Hermione, both of whom nodded at him. He followed Dumbledore back to his office.

-Dumbledore's office-

"So Harry, I suppose you are curious as to how the troll got inside the school," asked Dumbledore.

Harry shrugged. "Not really, I'm more interested on who set it loose in the first place."

"There will be an investigation upon this matter Harry, I'm afraid Miss Scarlet won't be able to come to Hogwarts for a while; I've already sent Fawkes to warn Makarov of this."

Harry looked around the office, noticing for the first time that the phoenix that was usually the first thing a visitor will see was absent. He returned his gaze to Dumbledore.

"Erza will understand. Is there anything else Professor?"

"Practice with Miss Granger, and try and find Mister Weasley's magic affinity, they will undoubtedly be very...helpful one day. I will ask Makarov if they can visit over the summer."

Harry smiled widely. "The guys back home will love it, Erza will be ecstatic, and Levy will probably form a bond with Hermione immediately. I just hope her and Ron can keep up." He paused for a moment, waiting to see if Dumbledore has anything to add.

When the headmaster stayed silent, he gave a small bow, and headed for the door.

"And Harry-"

He paused to look back at the headmaster.

"You three have detention with me sometime this year, so please keep up with your studies."

"Yes, sir."

Harry found Ron and Hermione asleep on the floor. Hermione was using Ron as a pillow, who was using the others forehead as an elbow rest. Smiling, he moved to wake them up, only to be stopped by Dumbledore. The headmaster's eyes were twinkling, and not just any kind of twinkle either. It was a mischievous glimmer not unlike those on the eyes of Fred and George whenever there was a prank in the works.

"Professor?" asked Harry. But Dumbledore was already waving his wand over the other two.

-Later-

"Ron, why is Harry giggling like a maniac all the way from Professor Dumbledore's office?"

"The heck should I know, is there anything on my face?"

Hermione shook her head. Ever since they left Dumbledore's office, Harry had been sniggering uncontrollably behind them. Worse still, all the portraits they passed by would snicker at them, sometimes loudly.

When they arrived at the common room, Neville, who was making homework, actually dropped his quill and ran for the bathroom, his expression of clear amusement.

-Next day-

Ron and Hermione was stopped by McGonagall before they entered the Great Hall. All throughout the way there, every student they would encounter would result in wide grins on their faces, and would shake their head when they tried to ask what was going on. Harry, as always, was missing until after they meet up during breakfast.

"I should apologize about the headmaster you two, it would seem that old age has finally made him mad."

She waved her wand over them, and Ron and Hermione felt as if something washed off their heads.

"Professor, what did Dumbledore do?" asked Hermione.

McGonagall's eye twitched. "I could tell you, but I believe some secrets are meant to be kept secret." And with that she walked off to the hall, leaving behind a bewildered Ron and Hermione. No one would tell them what happened, and Harry, the original witness, only clued them that Dumbledore made it so that they won't be able to see what he had done.

-Friday evening-

Wood pulled the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team out onto the field early.  
>"With our match against Slytherin only a week away, we're going to be practicing harder today and tomorrow," he said. No one complained, and were in fact eager (with the exception of Hermione) to prove their worth to their captain.<p>

Wood was not joking. If the team were in full spirits when they started practice, all faith in Wood's sanity was lost after it. The captain introduced four Bludgers into the practice, the Quaffle weighed ten times heavier, and the Snitch seemed to have afterburners attached to it. Worse still, they were using the old school brooms, which made things ten times worse.

After practice, wherein everyone was sore, exhausted, and thoroughly bruised, Wood talked to the first years. "Hermione, I want you to play Seeker next week. We'll need someone light and fast for that position, and you're the prime candidate."

"If I'm the prime, who's the other?"

"Harry, but he'll be on reserve next week with Ron," Wood turned to Ron and Harry, "Ron, you're going to be replacing Fred, George, or myself in case anything happens, while you Harry will be a substitute to Hermione or the Chasers, or to anyone else if it comes to that."

The three rookies nodded. Wood smiled at all of them.

"We're going to win this, that I am sure of," he said, and moved away to talk to Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet.

"After everything we've gone through, I will be very surprised if we didn't win," muttered Ron. The other two nodded their heads in agreement.

Wood's suddenly echoed throughout the room. "Before you go, I want everyone to wear wrist and ankle weights," he said.

He gestured over to Angelina and Alicia, who were holding a bag filled with what looked like black wrist bands. The two Chasers were giving off auras of irritation and annoyance.

"We'll be wearing these for the entire week. The weights will help us improve our strength and endurance while out in the field," he said.

Though grumbling, tired, and a little angry at Wood, everyone nonetheless took four weights each, and placed one on their wrists and ankles.

"My, these are heavy, we've got to wear them for the entire week?" asked George.

"The weights have been magically enhanced so that their weight is just enough to give you a workout without being uncomfortable, and yes, all of us are going to be wearing them for the week," replied Wood as he put on his own weights.

Nobody stuck around after putting on the little trinkets, lest Wood suddenly have another bright and potentially demented idea.

-Saturday morning-

After another round of exploration, Harry found Ron just as he was about to take a bath.

"Are we supposed to wear these while we take a bath too?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "Don't know. I removed them before I took a bath though."

Ron sighed. "Wood's gone mad. I mean, ankle and wrist weights? What on earth could these be possibly used for?" He jabbed a finger at one of the weights in his wrist.

Harry said nothing, Ron continued on his way to the bathroom.

Moments later, he heard a yell coming from said bathroom.

"Whoa, my arms feel like feathers!"

Harry smiled. _'He'll discover it sooner or later,' _he thought, and went back to his Charms homework.

-Later-

With the addition of the weights, the difficulty of the team's practice rose exponentially. Wood didn't make in any simpler when he released eight Bludgers into the field.

"Where...did...Madam...Hooch...get...so many...bloody...Bludgers?!" exclaimed Fred as he tried to knock two of the black balls from hitting him. George agreed with him wholeheartedly.

Over on the Chasers' side, Wood had hired Harry and Ron to help him defend the goal posts, essentially giving all the hoops a Keeper. The Quaffle was several times heavier than the night before, and Harry had the bright idea of smearing it with oil to make it slippery. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie Bell glared at him for the entire day.

Wood had managed to borrow a professional level Snitch for Hermione to capture, which is exactly as difficult as it sounds. Poor Hermione kept running into Bludgers and the others. That her fear of broomsticks hadn't been removed completely didn't help either.

Lunchtime was spent with Wood discussing with the others about possible team strategies and formations with the team. Ron was particularly vocal during the discussion, pointing out flaws and counters with each plan that Wood mentions.

"Look, I'm not trying to ruin any of our plans, its just that all of those can be countered in one way or another," said Ron when Wood seemed particularly sad over an idea that he had spent weeks making.

"Just accept that there's no plan that's perfect, mate, we'll just have to play our best next week," consoled Fred, patting Wood in the shoulder. Wood gave him a sad smile.

"Yeah, you're right." He raised his voice so that everyone can hear. "This afternoon we'll be working on individual skills, while later on our focus will be on teamwork. Everyone tidy up, we're resuming practice in fifteen minutes." He stood up, cleaned his own plates, and left the room that the team was using as headquarters. The others soon followed.

Needless to say, practice got even harder than before.

-Wednesday evening-

Hermione and Harry were on the library, researching on the history of goblin rebellions. Ron was having a Weasley family meeting with Fred, George, and their older brother, Percy.

"This one goes into a lot of detail Harry, look it even mentioned the goblin massacre of 1762, we didn't have that in our-"

Hermione was suddenly cut off when Harry raised a finger to his mouth. She turned to where he was looking, and found Wood talking to Madam Pince, the school librarian. Wood was holding a book in his hands, entitled _Tips and Tricks for a Successful Training Program_ by S. Oak.

"I'm here to return the book ma'am," said Wood.

"Of course, did you find it a good read?"

"Yes, it was very interesting. There were things in it that wouldn't apply to Quidditch teams, but a lot of what it says are actually good. I even applied some of its tips to the team."

Madam Pince smiled. "Sometimes, muggles have a better understanding of the world than us, keep your mind open Mister Wood, for there is still much to discover in this world."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." Wood left shortly afterwards.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other. They went to the librarian's desk.

"Yes, is there anything I can help you with?" asked Madam Pince.

"Um, can we borrow the book that Mister Wood returned?" asked Hermione.

Pince raised an eyebrow. "You are interested in muggle sports?" she asked.

"I'm muggle born ma'am, and we're part of the Quidditch team."

"Ah, you've never been much into sports have you Miss Granger? Well then, if I could have your borrower's card?"

Hermione handed her the card. Pince took it and wrote the details of the book on it. She returned the card, along with the book, to Hermione.

Harry and Hermione thanked Madam Pince, before speeding off in the direction of the Gryffindor tower, vowing never to let the other houses get a hold of their advantage, and spare the other teams from the torture Wood put them through.

-Friday night-

The entire team was dreading what Wood would have in store for them this time. Judging from the previous practices, which got harder every time, they fully expect Wood to force them to play while in the company of sixteen Bludgers, hefting hundred pound Quaffles, and look for the Snitch in complete darkness.

But to their surprise, Wood simply announced that there would be no practice for that night.

"Our bodies need to be well rested for tomorrow, so tonight we'll simply be going over our strategies and plans for the match," he said, amidst very loud sighs of relief.

"But we'll be working with sixteen Bludgers and hundred pound Quaffles after the match."

Sounds of groaning.

"I was also thinking of letting Harry and Hermione look for the Snitch in the dark, but I'm afraid that we'll lose the little balls..."

Harry and Hermione smiled.

"So they're going to look for the Snitch at dusk, while on time pressure."

Harry and Hermione frowned.

-Later-

It was way past curfew. The entire team had been so engrossed in their discussion that they lost track of time. As they made their way to the Gryffindor tower, they passed by the faculty room.

"Damn, why did they place the faculty room right in the path to the tower?" asked George.  
>"Quiet, someone will hear us," said Angelina.<p>

The door to the room was slightly ajar, and there was a light coming from the inside. Someone was still awake.

Crossing the path of light streaming from the room was a grueling task. They each had to tip-toe from one side of the door to another, while the rest covered their mouths and moved not a single inch. When Hermione, the last to cross, made it safely, they all let out their breaths.  
>"Great, let's get out of here before-" said Alicia before she saw Harry put his head near the door. He turned his ear towards the light, seemingly to hear the sounds coming from inside. Everyone held their breaths again. The eerie silence made it possible to them to hear what was going on inside.<p>

"...bloody dog, how am I supposed to keep track of all three heads standing ten feet above you..."

It was Snape.

Harry was about to look inside when he was suddenly pulled from behind by the twins. With Harry in tow, the entire team made a dash for the tower.

-Still later-

"Running with weights was exhausting," panted Ron. They finally made it back, and were now all resting at the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Snape talked about a three-headed dog, where did he find a three-headed dog?" asked Hermione.

"If you ask me, that's the thing that's inside the corridor on the third floor," said Fred.

"Maybe it's a guard dog?" said Katie. "But what could it be guarding?"

"I'll bet you ten Galleons it has something to do with the robbery at Gringotts a few months ago," said George.

All of their earlier exhaustion suddenly vanished, as they talked about what they had just heard. George's idea was the general consensus, but other theories also popped up, such as the dog being a potions experiment gone wrong, Snape was high on psychedelic potions that he mistook a wall to be a dog, and the dog being a denizen of the underworld summoned by Dumbledore.

Everyone agreed however, to keep what they learned a secret. Wood finally stood up to silence everyone, after what seemed like a long time.

"We'll leave the theories for another day, but right now we need some sleep. I want everyone on the field by eight AM," said Wood.

Fred yawned, standing up. "Right, night everyone."

"Good night."

"Night."

Harry followed Ron up the stairs to their dormitory, but his mind was anything but asleep. As he dressed for bed, he mused over everything that had happened so far.

_'An attempted robbery at the wizard bank, a troll on the loose, Snape is up to something, and something is going on in this school. I'll have look into this further.' _ he thought, as his head finally hit the pillow amidst Ron's snores.

**Author's Notes:** I apologize for the very long delay in this chapter. Real life has caught up to me and I've been very busy these past few months. So, here is chapter 8, which I hope is to your liking.

Hermione's magic, as shown, is over paper, while Ron will have something related to the body, clues are hidden all over the story.

About Dumbledore's prank. I'm basically making things up as I go along, hence the sudden mischievousness of the headmaster. I'll leave it up to you what kind of prank Dumbledore pulled on poor Ron and Hermione.

I appreciate all constructive criticisms, as long as it can actually help me improve my writing style.

Lastly, I would like to thank HTM for being my Beta Reader, the modified version should be posted within a few days.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail nor Harry Potter. If you find any other familiar franchises, I don't own them as well.**

**Chapter 9**

-The next day-

Harry awoke from an uneasy sleep, his thoughts having kept him awake for much of the night. As he went about his daily morning routines, his mind drifted to the mysterious corridor on the third floor. There was no doubt that Snape had tried to enter it, only to be thwarted by the large three-headed door at the entrance. Harry was sure that there were more obstacles awaiting the unfortunate soul who tries to go further. The question was, what was inside that corridor that Snape wanted to badly?

He recalled his conversation with Malfoy. The Hufflepuff had theorized that Hogwarts was playing host to an item that was taken from the wizarding bank, Gringotts, some months before. The same day that Dumbledore took him to the bank, an attempted robbery occurred just hours after they left.

It would seem that the robber was trying to steal the very item that Hogwarts was now keeping in its halls. So, going by that, could Snape also be the robber at Gringotts?

Harry shook his head vigorously, trying to shake distracting thoughts out of his mind. The Quidditch match was only a few hours away, it would not do well for him to be distracted during the game.

The rest of the trip went relatively reminisce-free, with the exception of the idea that made Harry wake up so early in spite of a big game. He eventually reached his destination, a huge portrait of a fruit bowl that was the hidden entrance to the Hogwarts kitchens.

The house elves of Hogwarts were the unsung heroes of the castle. They were the ones responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the school, Argus Filch was but the supervisor. They cook for the students and the staff as well as take care of the laundry, not to mention all the other minor duties that they have to attend to. Without them, life at the castle would be much less comfortable.

Despite all the menial labor that they have to do, they were perfectly content with their position. They take great satisfaction in knowing that they were doing a wonderful job taking care of the children, and seek only fair (read: no whippings) treatment in return.

Suddenly Harry Potter came along. The lad had already done them a great service when he slayed the Dark Lord, but then he came stumbling upon the Hogwarts kitchens.

The house elves have never known someone who appreciated their work so much, not since ancient times when their race first befriended humanity. Harry Potter praised them with so much vigor that the elder elves became worried that the young ones might let the praise go to their heads. So of course when Harry Potter requested that he be allowed to use the kitchen facilities, they answered yes without a second thought, so long as he doesn't put anything on the tables meant to take the food to the Great Hall.

Soon enough, the door of the kitchen opened, and the boy in question entered forth.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning Harry Potter sir! But why are you up this early? Surely you need your rest for the games later?" asked the head elf, named Moby. The title of head elf does not really give power to the wielder, only serving as a way for Dumbledore to communicate with the house elves more efficiently, like a spokeself; he would merely need to speak with just one elf, who will then relay the orders to the others.

"I got enough rest," replied Harry, "actually, I'm here to make something for my team, would it be alright if I borrow a jug or something?"

Moby nodded happily. "Of course! But Harry Potter must be careful not to break the jug. Professor Dumbledore told Moby that he would like to cut the costs and maintenance of the castle, so Moby cannot afford to lose anything."

_'Guess we now know where he got the money to pay the guild,' _thought Harry, shaking his head bemusedly.

"Okay, thanks," said Harry. He then started gathering items various items from the storage room, oranges, sugar, and salt among them. For some reason, he also took out a can of ground coffee. The kitchen keeps a supply of coffee for the rare occasion when a teacher prefers coffee instead of tea. Moby raised an eyebrow at this, but let it slide. Students drinking coffee was even rarer, but not unheard of, after all.

The house elves never bothered him as he worked, they had their own problems to deal with. But they know one thing for sure, that today's game would surely be the most exciting Quidditch game Hogwarts will see in a long time.

-Quidditch Pitch, Gryffindor changing room-

"Has anybody seen Harry?" asked Wood as he put on his uniform. It was only twenty minutes before the game and Harry was nowhere in sight. All of the other players had arrived, even the Slytherins, and the seats were beginning to fill up. Wood had specifically instructed the entire team be on the field by eight, it was now eight-forty.

Everyone looked at Ron, who shook his head. "Haven't seen him all morning Wood, sorry. Harry has this habit of sneaking off early in the morning just as soon as the curfew lifts. He could be anywhere in the castle by now."

Wood swore under his breath. "Alright, change of plan, Ron, if Harry doesn't show up today, you and the twins will have to-"

"Don't bother Captain, Harry's here," said Hermione, pointing to the road.

They all turned to the pathway leading to the field, where Harry was walking towards them, carrying what looked like a large jug of juice. Fred and George greeted him half-way, offering to carry the jug for him, but he refused.

"What took you so long, Harry?" asked Wood, annoyance evident in his voice.

"Sorry, I was in the kitchens making this energy drink. It'll help us stay longer in the game." Harry set down the jug in front of him, it bounced slightly when it hit the ground. "Don't worry Hermione, there's nothing in the rules that says we can't use muggle recipes, only magical ones. I checked, really," he added when Hermione began to open her mouth. She shut it closed afterward.

Wood was cut off from replying by Fred and George tackling Harry.

"You were in the kitchens? Blimey Harry, you never told us! And here we thought that-"

"Enough."

Silence dominated the room as Wood's voice took a venomous edge. All eyes turned to him.

He gestured to Harry. "Harry, go and change. The rest of you, make sure that your gear won't fall off. We'll discuss our plan once Harry is finished," he said. No one had the heart to argue with him, and set off for their tasks.

A few minutes later, Harry had joined the group and the others had secured their equipment. A considerably calmer Wood walked to the center of the room.

"First off, remove your weights," he said. Everyone proceeded to do so, and the results were obvious.

"Whoa, my arms feel like feathers!"

"They're so light!"  
>"Awesome!"<p>

"I can't believe this!"

Wood smirked as his teammates felt the effects of a week of wearing heavy objects.

"Admire the results of my training later, right now I need to talk with you about our game plan," he stated after Fred began shadow boxing and the Chasers started making macho poses.

Their spirits up, the team had no trouble listening to Wood as they capped off their preparations for the match.

-Later-

The stands were filled to the brims, both teams were at the starting position, the faculty and staff were all on standby in case something happens, and the balls roaring and ready to go. It was time to the match to start. Madame Hooch flew between the two team captains, who were trying to intimidate the other by glaring.

"Stick to the rules, I don't want to see bodies when this match is done," she said. Wood and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Captain, nodded vaguely, only half-listening, too busy trying to stare the other down. She beckoned them to shake hands, which they did, but only for the slightest moment.

With the ball chest shaking, Madame Hooch kicked open the chest, flew up into the air, and blew on her whistle.

The match has started.

"And they're off! Gryffindor takes early possession of the ball, and it looks as though whatever demented training regimen Wood put his team this year would finally pull off!" exclaimed Lee Jordan, a friend of the twins, who acted as commentator for the match. Professor McGonagall sat behind him, keeping a wary eye on anything that Jordan says that might not be safe for younger children to hear.

Angelina passed the ball to Katie Bell, who narrowly avoided getting hit by a Bludger, who then passed it to Alicia Spinnet. Fred and George were quick to retaliate with Bludgers of their own. Meanwhile, Hermione was high above the playing field, looking for any signs of the Snitch. Her Slytherin counterpart was doing the same.

Harry and Ron watched from the sidelines. Wood had chosen them to serve as reserves, in case something unforeseen happened. They were happy to oblige, Harry in particular was busy preparing cups for his drink.

Alicia tossed the ball back to Katie Bell. The girl braked hard to avoid being rammed by two Slytherin Chasers, before tossing the Quaffle to Angelina, who evaded the Slytherin Keeper and scored the first goal of the game.

"And Angelina Johnson takes first blood! The score is ten to nil in favor of Gryffindor. Such a pretty and athletic girl, if only she would reply to my countless love letters to her-"

"Jordan!"

"Sorry Professor McGonagall, just trying to liven up the commentary."

Ten minutes into the game, and Gryffindor had managed to add another five goals, while Slytherin can only rack up two, once when Wood was forced to dodge a Bludger and another when he was caught unawares by a kick that sent the Quaffle flying into the goal post.

Eventually, the results of the training that the team had gone through started to show. Whereas the Slytherin Chasers had to rely on their Beaters for defense, the Gryffindors seemed to dodge and move around Bludgers as if they can see the future, allowing their own Beaters to do more heinous things to the opposing team.

Fred and George too, benefited from the endless practice Wood put them through. They hit the Bludgers harder than their counterparts, making them harder to avoid. They would also become Bludgers themselves, diving into enemy formations to disrupt their ranks and generally cause confusion.

But the most obvious advantage that they had over the Slytherins was their endurance. One hour after the game started, and the Slytherin team already had to replace their Beaters, who had gotten tired from swinging the bat all morning. Fred and George, on the other hand, were casually stretching their muscles similar to the way an athlete would stretch before a game.

Jordan kept up the commentary. "Whoa! I have never seen, or heard, the crowd this lively in a long time! Who knew curb-stomps could generate such extreme fan rabidness, and trust me it will only get more exciting when Potter comes into play."

Wood apparently heard Jordan, and he called for a time out.

Harry gave them all drinks when they touched down.

"What is this stuff?" asked Fred. He eyed the liquid curiously. It looked ordinary enough, but this being the wizarding world, everything is never as it seems.

"It's an energy drink," replied Harry. "Muggle athletes used to drink it whenever they are playing a game. I found the recipe back home, and I figured maybe it could help us play longer."

Wood raised his eyebrow dubiously. "Does it really work?" he asked. It seemed so unbelievable that muggles could develop such a drink without magic when even wizards had to use spells to get the same effect.

Harry nodded. "Yes it does. It contains caffeine, which is known for keeping you alert and awake for hours."

Wood shrugged. "Fair enough," and downed the cup in one gulp. The rest of the team followed soon after. The effects were not as instantaneous as if it were a magic potion, but it was definitely there.

"Fred, George, you mind if Harry and Ron go out for a while? I'd like to see then in action," asked Wood to the current Beaters.

"No problem," replied George.

The replacements gave each other a high five and mounted their brooms, just in time for Madame Hooch to blow her whistle, signaling the end of the time-out.

"Looks like Wood has replaced the Weasley twins with Potter and Weasley! Ronald, I mean, Fred and George's little brother. We'll see if these rookies've got what it takes to play in this extremely competitive match—and Gryffindor scores! Wow! I almost missed that one, this brings us to a tally of ninety to thirty in favor of Gryffindor!" cried Jordan.

In spite of their early misgivings, Harry and Ron proved to be very good at their job. What they lack in proper skills they make up for in creativity. At one point, they hit one of the opposing Beaters by bouncing the Bludger off Ron's elbow and into the unfortunate victim. When there were no Bludgers in effective range of their bats, they would use themselves as human cannonballs, flying into enemy formations to break up their defenses.

Fred and George watched with pride from below.

"They're good, eh Fred?"

"No doubt about that George, after all, they were taught by the best."  
>"You can say that again."<br>A single tear fell from Fred's eye.

"They grow up so fast."

Another tear fell from George's eye.

"That they do Fred, that they do."

"Nice job Harry!" shouted Ron. They were passing a Bludger between themselves, effectively making a wall that threatened to knock off anyone who tried to cross it.

Harry only grinned at his companion. He had never had this much fun in a long time. Quidditch reminded him of the brawls that seemed to occur daily back at the guild, where anything and everything will be thrown and everyone present will end up in a fight or two. Harry had only ever avoided the carnage because he was in the kitchen, and even then he would still end up with a plate full of onions being slammed into his face.

_'The guys back home will love this game,'_ he thought. The prospect of a game where the secondary objective is to beat the living daylights out of your opponent by batting a heavy ball at them is certain to entertain the fight loving members of the Fairy Tail guild. Harry would not be surprised though, if they abandoned the idea of scoring altogether in favor of legalized beating.

He prepared to swing the Bludger back at Ron, when he saw the other Bludger tear its way to him. He quickly passed swung his bat at one Bludger then whacked the other one hard away from him. The first Bludger went back to Ron, but his eyes grew wide when the second Bludger reversed its course and came back for him. He batted it away again, startled that it decided to focus on him. Bludgers were supposed to unseat as many players as possible, not center its attention on only one.

He grit his teeth when he saw that the Bludger stopped in midair and accelerated towards him again.

"Ron, take care of the other Bludger, this one won't leave me alone!" he shouted.

Ron looked concerned. "What? But Bludgers are supposed to go after everyone!" He batted the first Bludger into oncoming Slytherin Chasers and flew towards Harry, who warned him to stay away.

"Don't come any closer Ron, you might get hit too! And I know, there's something wrong with this one!" replied Harry. The Bludger kept coming back for him, harder and faster each time he knocked it away. He was still fresh, but he knew that it would only be a matter of time before his strength failed him.

"Get that other Bludger!" he shouted, prompting Ron to reluctantly leave him to deal with the rogue ball alone.

With the loss of one of their Beaters, the Gryffindor team was at a disadvantage. Ron alone could not keep up with the other two Beaters from Slytherin, and there was still one remaining Bludger for the Slytherins to use. And it was obvious that they were enjoying the peace. Within minutes the score became one hundred fifty to eighty, with the Slytherins slowly but surely closing the gap.

Up above, Hermione's search for the Snitch became more desperate. She saw Harry being targeted by the Bludger, and she immediately knew that the ball was tampered with. She had to finish to game fast.

She flew higher, careful not to think about the fact that she the only reason she wasn't plummeting hundreds of feet below was because of a cleaning instrument. Her opponent copied her move, flying to her level a second later.

Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for that familiar twinkle that accompanies a Snitch on a bright day. She was suddenly thankful that the match did not take place on a cloudy day or at night, where finding the Snitch was much more difficult.

She spared a glance at her opponent, who was scanning the outskirts of the field. His eyebrows were knitted, trying to concentrate on finding the game breaking golden ball and failing to see the Snitch flying above his head-

Hermione blinked. The Snitch was flying literally inches above her adversary's head!

With a push, she blazed through the skies.

The Slytherin Seeker sighed loudly. There were no signs of the Snitch anywhere on the field. He looked at the Gryffindor Seeker. Maybe she's had more luck in finding the Snitch, in that case he could simply look at where she was staring and go there before she can.

He saw her coming his way like a charging rhinoceros.

"What the-" he exclaimed. Why was she-? There was no time to think, nor time to dodge, he could only hold his hands up and hope it wouldn't hurt.

He only felt a rush of wind pass him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw her with her hands up, in a victory pose. She was clutching the Snitch in her hand.

It took a while for Lee Jordan to catch on, but eventually someone pointed it out to him that Hermione had gotten the Snitch.

"The Snitch, Granger has the Snitch! Gryffindor wins three hundred thirty to one hundred ten!" he cried. Inwardly he wondered to himself where were his eyes when it happened.

_'Oh yeah, I was looking at Angelina,'_ he thought.

The crowd was silent for a moment, before erupting into a deafening roar.

"GRYFFINDOR! GRYFFINDOR! GRYFFINDOR!" The cries of the Gryffindor supporters in particular were ear-splitting, while the Slytherin fans sat back down, dejected over the loss of their team.

"Yeah, we won!"

"Great job!"

"Good game!"

The Gryffindor Quidditch team lowered themselves to the ground, congratulating each other on a job well done.

Except for two.

Harry was still trying to prevent the rogue Bludger from killing him, while Hermione remained high above the field, looking for something. Ron, on the other hand, jumped from his broom in his haste to get down, thirty feet above the ground. He landed haphazardly, but was nonetheless fine. After a brief moment to orient himself, he ran past his teammates towards the faculty box.

He didn't notice the shocked looks of the others as they watched him leave the field.

The game was finished, that much Harry knew, but that only seemed to have bolstered the strength of the Bludger. He was starting to get tired, and the attacks kept on coming relentlessly. Vaguely he was aware that the crowd had began to notice his situation, and he desperately hoped that someone would do something. He considered using mental magic, but disposed of the idea instantly. He couldn't risk exposing himself in front of so many people. Worse, he left his wand next to his bed so he couldn't use other types of magic either. Nevertheless he placed a mental lock on the ball, a spell that showed no signs of it being used, to better help him track it.

He kicked the Bludger out of the way, and started to fly down. And as soon as he dropped an inch from his current position, the Bludger shot at him again.

Harry abandoned the idea of swatting it away when he saw the other Bludger coming towards him. Bludgers were enchanted to knock off as many people as they can off their brooms. And Harry was the closest one still up in the air, Hermione was high above him and on the other side of the field, away from harm.

He pointed his broom down and shot towards the ground, the two Bludgers in hot pursuit. As soon as he landed, he leaped off the broom, just in time for the rogue Bludger to hit it at a hundred kilometers per hour, breaking the Feathermon to pieces.

Hermione looked at the crowd. The Bludger that was attacking Harry had to be manually controlled for it to target only one person with such ferocity. As such, the attacker should be in the crowd keeping an eye on his victim.

Hermione was looking for someone casting a continuous incantation, to keep up the enchantment. Her eyes darted back and forth from the various boxes that seated the students, to the faculty box, and occasionally to the entrance. But with so many faces and countless facial expressions, it was hard to determine which one was saying magic words or simply having a conversation.

When nothing turned up on her radar, she decided to scan the audience one more time before heading back down. That's when she caught a glimpse of a person whose mouth was opening and closing, but his gaze was fixed upon no one. Hermione flew in for a closer look, but her attempt was thwarted by the other Bludger. She quickly dodged it and looked up at the field.

She saw that she was the only one still up in the air, and thus the Bludger's target by default. She quickly memorized the features of the person, before flying down.

Harry ran like there was no tomorrow. The Bludger was still attacking him. Wood and the others had tried to help by restraining the ball. They received broken bones in return. Harry shouted for them not to interfere.

By this time, Lee Jordan had also noticed him.

"Blimey, that's one rough Bludger! Why is it only attacking Harry?" questioned the commentator.

_'That's something I've been wanting to find out since it began trying to kill me,' _thought Harry.

The mental lock he placed on the Bludger allowed him to track its movements, and now it was speeding behind him. He jumped to the right, milliseconds before the Bludger would have turned him into a bloody mess. And now the ball was in front of him.

His pathway cut off, Harry had no choice but to stand his ground. He gripped his Beater bat hard, he was ready to whack the ball into the horizon if he had to.

The Bludger lunged at him without missing a beat, and Harry backhanded it forcefully, right into the face of the headmaster.

Without realizing it, Harry shot his hand forward, in a panicked attempt to use telekinesis on the thing before it massages Dumbledore's beard, violently.

It proved to be unnecessary however, as Dumbledore simply flicked his wand, and the Bludger dropped to the ground like a harmless stone.

Harry let his arm plop to his sides, seconds later he himself sat on the ground, exhausted.

Behind Dumbledore was Ron and the heads of houses.

Ron ran to his side.

"Harry! You okay?" he asked.

"Tired, yeah, but fine," replied Harry, he can feel magic rage around his friend wildly.

_'Ron must have used his magic,' _he thought.

Ron shook his shoulders. "Is that all you can say? Blimey mate, I thought that Bludger would kill you!"

Harry could feel his shoulder bones starting to break._ 'Unconsciously I might add, he doesn't seem to be aware that he's even using magic.'_

Harry held his arm to stop him. He was too tired to say anything else, and instead lied flat on the grass with his eyes closed. He felt an odd sensation of flight around him, but he thought nothing of it.

Back when he was still learning mental magic, Harry would sometimes wake up to find himself floating a foot or two above his bed. Master Makarov said that it was natural, since he was still learning to control his magic. Erza, on the other hand, would awaken to a clutter of swords and other weapons on the foot of her bed.

After a moment he vaguely realized that he was being levitated, the last thing he saw was Professor McGonagall casting a sleeping spell on him, before he was taken over by the darkness.

-Dumbledore's office-

The entire Gryffindor Quidditch team, with the exception of the first years, who had stayed on the hospital wing with Harry, were all crowded around the office of the headmaster. With the addition of six additional people, as well as the heads of houses, the room seemed rather cramped. That didn't stop the students from marvelling in awe at all the portraits and magical items surrounding them. They could see the Sorting Hat on top of one of the shelves, muttering to itself.

"Caring? No, that doesn't rhyme with Slytherin...cunning maybe? No, used that word too much already," it said to itself. The students gave a quiet laugh at seeing the Sorting Hat compose next year's song, before giving their attention back to the headmaster.

Dumbledore himself sat behind his desk, his eyes staring intently on each and every one of the players. It felt as though he was peering into the very depths of their soul.

After a few minutes of silence, the headmaster finally spoke.

"Tell me what happened earlier." he asked.

"Professor, the Bludger focused only on Harry when he was being attacked earlier. Bludgers are supposed to go for as many people as it can, so after having a go at Harry, it should have targeted someone else," said Wood.

"Plus that Bludger's vicious Professor. I got by arm broken in three places when it hit me, it looked like it could hit hard enough to actually kill someone," added Fred, rubbing his arm on reflex. Each of them had some of their bones broken or dislocated when they tried to restrain the Bludger. Wood had his shoulders removed from its sockets, the twins got shattered limbs, Angelina received a broken jaw, while Katie and Alicia has their hips dislocated. Luckily, Madame Pomfrey was on the scene and she quickly mended their fractures.

"I was nearby Harry when the Bludger was attacking him Professor, the thing wouldn't attack anyone else even while he was up in the air," quipped Angelina, gently touching her jaw to make sure it was still working properly.

"Yeah, me too. Harry actually hit the Bludger towards me at one point in the game. It should have tried to unseat me, but it went back to attacking harry instead," contributed Katie. She and Alicia both had their hands to their hips, massaging them lightly.

Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment. From the angle that the students saw him, it almost seemed as if their headmaster was asleep.

When they opened again, he turned to the other teachers.

"Security would have to be tightened around the perimeter of the castle. Whomever tampered with the Bludger acted with the intent to kill Mister Potter," he said, amid gasps that erupted from the students, "and will undoubtedly return to finish the job."

More gasps from the students.

"What do you want us to do headmaster?" asked Flitwick. All four of the heads of houses stepped forward, ready to offer their services.

"Alert the other teachers, and inform the prefects that nightly patrols will now be done in pairs, the culprit is to be considered highly trained in magic and should never be engaged alone."

Dumbledore turned to the students gathered in front of him.

"As for you, keep an eye on Harry. I am aware that him and Mister Weasley and Miss Granger are friends, but all the same, we cannot afford to be careless."

Wood and the others nodded. Dumbledore nodded in kind.

"Good, then you are dismissed, the teachers and I still have much to discuss," he said. They seemed surprised at the sudden dismissal.

"Help yourselves to the candy on the way out," he added, smiling warmly at them.

Wood took that as their cue to leave, and led the others out of the door. Some of them picked up assorted candy with them, while Fred and George took everything but the bowl. They could hear Dumbledore regretfully mutter "I don't have an endless supply of those" as the door closed behind them.

As the door closed, Dumbledore let his cheerful facade fall. "I suppose we can all agree that there is a traitor among our ranks," he said, inciting murmurs among the remaining four people in front of him.

"Do you have any idea who might this be Dumbledore?" asked Sprout. Being the most motherly among the heads of houses, she couldn't help but worry about the sudden news.

"I do, but I cannot say if it is truly him until I can get Alastor to confirm it," replied Dumbledore.

"Mad-Eye Moody, but isn't he a high-ranking member of the Aurors? If would take weeks to make the necessary paperwork to approve of an investigation with him involved." asked Flitwick. He too was unnerved as the notion that one of the teachers tried to harm a student, but it did explain many things. For one, the wards of Hogwarts would have alerted anyone who tried to enter without permission, not to mention Hagrid prowling the grounds. The other is that Bludgers are specially made by the international Quidditch community to be difficult to tamper unless you know what you're doing, a student would never be able to acquire the knowledge, nor the skill, to manually control the Bludger without anyone noticing.

Dumbledore merely chuckled. "Yes, he is. But I'm quite sure he wouldn't mind doing it as a favor."

McGonagall stepped forward. "Dumbledore, regarding the troll incident, could it be connected to the Bludger in some way?"

Dumbledore rubbed his chin. "It's possible that the culprit for both incidents is the same person. Who was guarding the corridor during the game?"

"Sinistra, she reported that she saw no one while the game was going on," said Flitwick. He raised an eyebrow at this. "Are you implying that the attacker was using the troll and the Bludger as a distraction to enter the corridor?"

"That seems to be the best answer we have right now."  
>Snape frowned. "But he could not have controlled the Bludger while he was away trying to break in, and I encountered only Peeves when I went down to check the corridor last Halloween," he said.<p>

Dumbledore considered what Snape said. "Nevertheless Severus, it remains our best theory at the moment. In the meantime, we must bolster the defenses of the castle. If ever this intruder will return, he will find that Hogwarts does not take kindly to unannounced visits," he said, with an air of finality in his tone.

The teachers nodded purposefully. Their roles and duties clear, they waited for Dumbledore to dismiss them.

Nothing.

Dumbledore intended for the last statement to indicate that the others were dismissed, but apparently they didn't quite get the idea, and so an awkward silence descended upon the office.

Seconds passed, and Flitwick finally decided to break the increasingly tense atmosphere.

"Severus, did you know that Miss Parkinson had become fast friends with Hagrid?" he asked the Slytherin head of house.

Snape turned to him. "And this is relevant to our earlier discussione because?"

Flitwick looked away amusedly. "Nothing, just trying to start conversation. The silence was deafening."

"I have no time for meaningless gossip," replied Snape. With a swish of his cloak, he left the office.

After a moment, the others also left.

"Ooh, do tell," said Sprout.

"Well, Kettleburn told me that Miss Parkinson would sometimes visit Hagrid because she finds him interesting..."

-Unknown location-

"That was a foolish plan to attack the boy, and now it would be even more difficult for you to get it."

"I am sorry master, I had thought that Potter would be defenseless while he is away from his friends..."

"Fool! You should have used the opportunity to enter the corridor! The boy can be dealt with after you have completed your task."

"Arrgh! Y-yes my lord. I-I sh-shall not stray away from my mission."

"Good. Now, because of your foolishness, we must remain hidden for a time. Go about your everyday duties, and do not make any mistakes. I will not tolerate any more from you."

"Yes, my lord."

**Author's Note**: I apologize for the long delay. The end of the school year is always a busy time to students, and I was no exception.. It was only when classes ended that I finally found some free time.

So, here is Fairy Warts chapter 9. I hope you like it. This chapter was originally going to include scenes of the trio on the hospital wing and a Fairy Tail Christmas, but the Quidditch match and the Bludger attack ended up longer than expected, so I had to cut it at the mysterious conversation scene. The scenes would be written in the next chapter.

Thanks to HTM for being my Beta Reader, and to all the reviewers for giving an opinion on how I should write my story. All criticisms are appreciated, as long as they actually help me become a better writer. Also thanks to those to followed or favorited Fairy Warts, they gave me the motivation to write and continue my stories.


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